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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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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: saw · ruler · content · land · deal · clip · dip · bat

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. saw — the tool
  6. land — to come down
  7. clip — to cut
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. bat — the animal
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. saw — the tool
  13. deal — to handle
  14. dip — to sink
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — happy
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. clip — a video
  20. land — ground
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. clip — for paper
  24. ruler — for measuring

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