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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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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: prune · snap · foot · suit · content · race · ruler · mouse

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. suit — to fit
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. foot — a measure
  6. suit — clothes
  7. snap — to click
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. race — humankind
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. prune — to trim
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. race — a contest
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. prune — to trim
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. suit — in cards
  22. race — the arms race
  23. content — the amount
  24. content — videos and posts

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