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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 116 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: hide · content · ruler · bound · rash · clip · net · fork

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. bound — obliged
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — certain
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. clip — to cut
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. rash — a series
  14. content — happy
  15. clip — for paper
  16. net — for catching
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. fork — in a road
  19. net — after costs
  20. rash — hasty
  21. clip — a video
  22. content — the amount
  23. net — in sport
  24. hide — to keep secret

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