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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. cell — a phone
  5. file — a document
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. drill — a practice
  8. tear — from crying
  9. content — the amount
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. cell — in biology
  12. drill — the tool
  13. content — happy
  14. file — a tool
  15. tear — to rip
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. file — a line of people
  20. tear — from crying
  21. drill — army training
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. content — videos and posts

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