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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 116 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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. can — a tin
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. tube — a container
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. content — happy
  10. lie — to recline
  11. march — music
  12. tube — the underground
  13. march — the month
  14. content — the amount
  15. can — a tin
  16. bat — the animal
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — a series
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. march — the month
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. can — to be able to

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