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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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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 · pop · court · can · cap · rash · bark · content

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. can — a tin
  3. pop — music
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. content — happy
  6. pop — soda
  7. cap — a lid
  8. rash — hasty
  9. cap — a hat
  10. court — of law
  11. can — a tin
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. court — for sport
  15. rash — a series
  16. bark — to shout
  17. cap — of ice
  18. pop — to visit
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. court — of a king
  24. content — the amount

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