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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 120 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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. last — to go on
  4. file — a tool
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. stand — to bear
  8. spell — letters
  9. cue — a signal
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. cue — for pool
  12. file — a document
  13. cue — a hint
  14. file — a line of people
  15. spell — magic
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. tube — a container
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. spell — a short time
  20. content — the amount
  21. last — finally
  22. last — final
  23. content — happy
  24. ruler — for measuring

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