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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 120 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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  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. ruler — a monarch
  2. wound — an injury
  3. content — the amount
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wound — an injury
  6. firm — steady
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — the season
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. clip — a video
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. clip — for paper
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. clip — to cut
  20. content — happy
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. firm — decided
  23. spring — a coil
  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