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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 116 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: fall · ruler · march · mine · content · cell

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. march — the month
  3. content — the amount
  4. mine — for digging
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. march — the month
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. march — music
  12. content — happy
  13. cell — in biology
  14. fall — to drop
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. cell — a phone

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