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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 116 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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. pop — music
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. perch — the fish
  5. pop — soda
  6. saw — the tool
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. clip — to cut
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. squash — the sport
  16. clip — a video
  17. saw — the tool
  18. clip — for paper
  19. squash — to crush
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. pop — to visit
  24. squash — the vegetable

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