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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. kid — to tease
  3. capital — money
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. saw — the tool
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mate — to breed
  8. prune — to trim
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. mark — a grade
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. content — happy
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. mate — a partner
  16. content — the amount
  17. kid — child
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. prune — to trim
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. mark — a trace
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. capital — a city
  24. saw — the tool

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