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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. pit — in a race
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pit — a hole
  7. rule — a law
  8. ball — a great time
  9. dip — to sink
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. ball — a dance
  16. clip — a video
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rule — government
  21. clip — to cut
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. clip — for paper
  24. wind — moving air

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