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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 120 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: pound · content · firm · ruler · plane · kid

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. content — happy
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. firm — a company
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. kid — to tease
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. plane — a tool
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. firm — steady
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — a weight
  16. content — the amount
  17. kid — child
  18. plane — in geometry

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