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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. tube — the underground
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. capital — money
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mug — a cup
  12. wake — a trail
  13. mug — to rob
  14. content — the amount
  15. capital — a city
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. lean — thin
  18. tube — a container
  19. tear — to rip
  20. lean — to bend
  21. tear — from crying
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. mug — a face
  24. content — happy

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