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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: ruler · saw · bat · content · squash · pass · bay · lie

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  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. bay — to keep at bay
  2. lie — to recline
  3. content — happy
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. pass — a permit
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. saw — the tool
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. saw — the tool
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. squash — to crush
  16. content — the amount
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. squash — the sport
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. bat — the animal
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. lie — an untruth
  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