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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ground — crushed
  6. season — of the year
  7. content — happy
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. tear — to rip
  10. ground — a position
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. ground — the earth
  14. squash — to crush
  15. content — the amount
  16. mug — to rob
  17. season — in sport
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. mug — a cup
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. mug — a face
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. squash — the sport

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