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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: rash · mark · content · press · ruler · pound · clip · ground

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — to cut
  3. mark — a trace
  4. rash — a series
  5. content — happy
  6. ground — a position
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. pound — a weight
  10. mark — a grade
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. press — a publisher
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. press — newspapers
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. press — to push
  20. rash — hasty
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ground — crushed
  24. clip — a video

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