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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cold · cell · march · ruler · cabinet · content

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. march — music
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. march — the month
  5. cell — a phone
  6. march — the month
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. content — happy
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cold — not warm
  16. content — the amount
  17. cold — an illness
  18. 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