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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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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: ruler · racket · bass · snap · rule · content · calf · prune

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. content — happy
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. content — the amount
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. prune — to trim
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bass — the fish
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. rule — government
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. snap — to click
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. bass — low music
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. rule — a law
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. content — videos and posts

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