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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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Word bank
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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: wound · saw · pitch · snap · ruler · sharp · rush · content

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. 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. rush — hurry
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. saw — the tool
  6. snap — to click
  7. pitch — completely
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. sharp — clever
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — happy
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. 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