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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: mine · fall · content · sharp · ruler · season · leaves · rash

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. season — in sport
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. fall — the season
  7. rash — hasty
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. season — of the year
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. fall — to drop
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — clever
  17. fall — to drop
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. rash — a series
  21. mine — for digging
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. content — the amount

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