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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. clip — to cut
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. court — for sport
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. clip — a video
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. scale — size or range
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. ball — a great time
  15. court — of a king
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. court — of law
  19. clip — for paper
  20. band — a music group
  21. wake — a trail
  22. band — a ring
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. scale — in music

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