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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. content — happy
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. spring — a coil
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. roll — a cake
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. foot — a measure
  13. wake — a trail
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. roll — a list
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. content — the amount
  18. date — the fruit
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. spring — of water
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. ruler — for measuring

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