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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: mate · content · jam · rule · straw · ruler · bulb · field

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. field — farmland
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — a friend
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. content — happy
  10. mate — to breed
  11. field — for sport
  12. rule — government
  13. content — the amount
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bulb — for light
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. rule — a law
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. bulb — for light
  22. field — a subject
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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