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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. spell — letters
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. spell — a short time
  6. clip — for paper
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. mark — a grade
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. roll — a list
  11. clip — to cut
  12. spell — magic
  13. clip — a video
  14. bore — to tire
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. mark — a trace
  18. bore — to drill

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