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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — music
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. rest — what's left
  5. wind — moving air
  6. scale — size or range
  7. content — happy
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. wind — moving air
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. scale — in music
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. pound — a weight
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — a break
  18. content — the amount
  19. band — a ring
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. rock — a stone
  23. band — a music group
  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