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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. game — wild animals
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. clip — for paper
  9. clip — a video
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rash — hasty
  16. bulb — for light
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. game — a match
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. fork — in a road
  21. bulb — for light
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. clip — to cut

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