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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 120 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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. can — to be able to
  4. hand — help
  5. can — a tin
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. spell — letters
  8. last — final
  9. spell — a short time
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. last — to go on
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. content — the amount
  14. swing — in golf
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. swing — music
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. can — a tin
  19. last — finally
  20. content — happy
  21. swing — to play on
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. spell — magic

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