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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 120 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. clip — a video
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. present — a gift
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. band — a ring
  11. present — the time now
  12. clip — to cut
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. clip — for paper
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. present — there
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. band — a music group
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. lash — an eyelash

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