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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: last · tear · ruler · content · spring · cue · rash · sharp

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. cue — a signal
  3. last — final
  4. cue — a hint
  5. rash — hasty
  6. last — finally
  7. rash — a series
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. spring — the season
  11. last — to go on
  12. content — happy
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. cue — for pool
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. tear — from crying
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. spring — a coil
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. spring — of water
  22. tear — to rip
  23. sharp — clever
  24. tear — from crying

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