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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. saw — the tool
  4. content — happy
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. saw — the tool
  12. content — the amount
  13. land — to come down
  14. rush — hurry
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. land — ground
  17. wind — moving air
  18. land — a country
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. rock — a stone
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. rock — music
  24. mouse — the animal

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