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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. march — the month
  8. pit — in a race
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. hand — help
  11. march — the month
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bore — to drill
  14. march — music
  15. last — finally
  16. last — final
  17. last — to go on
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. pit — a hole
  20. clip — for paper
  21. clip — a video
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. hand — in cards
  24. ruler — for measuring

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