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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. hand — help
  3. content — the amount
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. content — happy
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — to shout
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. mate — a friend
  11. bound — obliged
  12. mate — a partner
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. mate — to breed
  15. foot — a measure
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bound — tied together
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bound — certain
  24. rush — hurry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com