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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ruler · racket · rash · content · pitcher · tube · hide · wound

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rash — a series
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. content — the amount
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rash — hasty
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. tube — a container
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. wound — an injury
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. content — happy
  24. tube — the underground

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