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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. prune — to trim
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ground — a position
  9. content — the amount
  10. ground — crushed
  11. spell — a short time
  12. chip — for betting
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. chip — to eat
  15. wake — a trail
  16. spell — letters
  17. ground — the earth
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. content — happy
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. chip — in a computer

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