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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. spell — letters
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. bat — the animal
  6. race — a contest
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. race — humankind
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. tube — the underground
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. spell — magic
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. clip — a video
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — for paper
  17. ball — a great time
  18. race — the arms race
  19. bark — to shout
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. tube — a container
  24. ball — a dance

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