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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. rock — a stone
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. content — the amount
  12. bat — the animal
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. rock — music
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. content — happy
  24. trunk — of a tree

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