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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. wind — moving air
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — in cards
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. wax — to grow
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ground — the earth
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. toast — bread
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. content — the amount
  20. ground — crushed
  21. ground — a position
  22. wind — moving air
  23. content — happy
  24. chair — a leader

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