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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.

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: bass · fall · staff · sharp · present · ruler · content · mate

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. content — happy
  3. mate — to breed
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mate — a partner
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. bass — the fish
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. mate — a friend
  10. sharp — clever
  11. fall — the season
  12. present — there
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. fall — to drop
  15. content — the amount
  16. bass — low music
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. staff — a stick
  20. present — the time now
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — employees
  23. present — a gift
  24. bass — the instrument

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