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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. cue — for pool
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cue — a signal
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. wound — an injury
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. rest — what's left
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. clip — a video
  16. clip — for paper
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. wound — an injury
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. rest — a break
  23. clip — to cut
  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