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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: stick · cold · content · chest · temple · ruler

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. content — the amount
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. chest — of your body
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. content — happy
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. cold — an illness
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. chest — a box
  12. chest — of your body
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. cold — not warm
  18. ruler — a monarch

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