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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.

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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: ground · spring · stick · race · ruler · cap · mark · content

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. content — happy
  3. cap — of ice
  4. race — humankind
  5. spring — of water
  6. race — a contest
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. spring — the season
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. mark — a trace
  12. race — the arms race
  13. ground — crushed
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. mark — a grade
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. cap — a lid
  19. content — the amount
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. cap — a hat
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. spring — a coil

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