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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. game — wild animals
  3. key — for a lock
  4. rule — government
  5. clip — to cut
  6. key — in music
  7. rest — what's left
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. tube — a container
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. key — the most important part
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — a match
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. rest — a break
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. tube — the underground
  20. squash — the sport
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — for paper
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rule — a 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