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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  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. ground — crushed
  2. content — the amount
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. bore — to tire
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. bore — to drill
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. content — happy
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. ground — a position
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. fork — in a road
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. chair — a leader
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. ground — the earth
  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