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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. shower — rain
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. mine — for digging
  9. lie — to recline
  10. content — the amount
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. shower — to wash
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. spring — the season
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bass — low music
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. spring — of water
  23. bass — the fish
  24. content — happy

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