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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. clip — a video
  4. row — a line
  5. row — to paddle
  6. clip — to cut
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. pitch — completely
  10. scale — size or range
  11. court — for sport
  12. scale — in music
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. court — of law
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. clip — for paper
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. court — of a king
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. trunk — of a tree

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