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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. pop — soda
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — in sport
  7. object — to protest
  8. pop — to visit
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. clip — to cut
  13. object — an aim
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. object — a thing
  16. pit — in a race
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — the season
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. spring — of water
  21. clip — a video
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pop — music
  24. net — after costs

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