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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: mark · cell · kid · wound · rock · content · pass · ruler

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. content — happy
  3. rock — music
  4. content — the amount
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. mark — a grade
  8. pass — a permit
  9. wound — an injury
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — a phone
  15. kid — child
  16. kid — to tease
  17. rock — a stone
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. cell — in biology
  20. mark — a trace
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. pass — to spend time

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