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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 120 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 · staff · foot · straw · land · content · current · rest

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. staff — employees
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. staff — a stick
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. current — electric
  7. land — a country
  8. rest — a break
  9. rest — what's left
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. current — of water
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. rest — what's left
  15. land — ground
  16. staff — employees
  17. content — happy
  18. foot — a measure
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. land — to come down
  22. current — happening now
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. straw — dry grass

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