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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. game — a match
  4. bound — tied together
  5. content — the amount
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. spring — of water
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — obliged
  11. content — happy
  12. rash — a series
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. tube — the underground
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. spring — the season
  19. tube — a container
  20. game — wild animals
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. rash — hasty
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. spring — a coil

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