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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. face — to confront
  3. pop — to visit
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. chair — a leader
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. current — of water
  12. current — electric
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — hurry
  15. current — happening now
  16. face — part of the head
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. sharp — clever
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. pop — music
  21. face — to point toward
  22. pop — soda
  23. content — happy
  24. content — the amount

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