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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 116 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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. content — happy
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. clip — to cut
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. rock — a stone
  8. present — there
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. kid — child
  12. content — the amount
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — to tease
  15. clip — for paper
  16. clip — a video
  17. ground — a position
  18. present — the time now
  19. rock — music
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. present — a gift
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ground — the earth

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