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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. last — to go on
  4. content — the amount
  5. court — of law
  6. lean — to bend
  7. march — the month
  8. last — final
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. court — of a king
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. last — finally
  17. lean — thin
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. court — for sport
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. content — happy
  23. squash — the sport
  24. stem — to come from

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