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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. wind — moving air
  7. clip — a video
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. degree — from a university
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. wind — moving air
  12. clip — to cut
  13. degree — an amount
  14. row — a line
  15. clip — for paper
  16. degree — temperature
  17. row — to paddle
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — of a river
  20. perch — the fish
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bank — for money
  24. perch — for a bird

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