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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: ruler · foot · mate · drill · pound · content

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. drill — the tool
  3. content — happy
  4. drill — a practice
  5. drill — army training
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mate — a friend
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. foot — a measure
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. mate — a partner
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. pound — a weight

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