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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 · land · kid · ground · mark · rock · content · face

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. rock — a stone
  6. kid — to tease
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. land — a country
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mark — a grade
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to point toward
  14. land — ground
  15. ground — the earth
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. rock — music
  18. ground — a position
  19. content — the amount
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. content — happy
  22. ground — crushed
  23. kid — child
  24. face — to confront

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