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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. mine — for digging
  6. season — in sport
  7. bear — the animal
  8. kid — to tease
  9. content — the amount
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. can — to be able to
  14. can — a tin
  15. content — happy
  16. bear — the animal
  17. can — a tin
  18. season — of the year
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. kid — child
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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