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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. cap — a hat
  4. firm — steady
  5. clip — to cut
  6. shower — to wash
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. clip — a video
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — the fruit
  12. content — the amount
  13. shower — rain
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. cap — of ice
  17. clip — for paper
  18. content — happy
  19. firm — decided
  20. sharp — clever
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. firm — a company

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