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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — of your body
  4. land — to come down
  5. spell — letters
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. rash — hasty
  10. spell — a short time
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. spell — magic
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. content — happy
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. rash — a series
  19. land — ground
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. date — the fruit
  22. land — a country
  23. content — the amount
  24. chest — a box

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