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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: cell · pitch · ruler · rash · hand · tear · cabinet · content

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — a series
  4. cell — a phone
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. hand — in cards
  8. content — the amount
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. hand — help
  11. cell — in biology
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. tear — from crying
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. tear — to rip
  23. tear — from crying
  24. content — happy

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