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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. clip — a video
  3. degree — from a university
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. degree — temperature
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. plane — a tool
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. clip — to cut
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of a king
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. clip — for paper
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. ball — a dance
  18. perch — the fish
  19. degree — an amount
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. ball — a great time
  24. court — of law

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