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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. net — in sport
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. net — for catching
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — happy
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. cold — not warm
  13. net — after costs
  14. cell — in biology
  15. board — a committee
  16. bat — the animal
  17. cold — an illness
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. cell — a phone
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. board — to get on

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