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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. content — happy
  6. roll — a list
  7. tear — from crying
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to click
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. present — the time now
  14. tear — from crying
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. present — there
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. tear — to rip
  21. roll — a cake
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. content — the amount

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