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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  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. ruler — a monarch
  2. drill — the tool
  3. bulb — for light
  4. drill — army training
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. wind — moving air
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bound — tied together
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. ball — a great time
  11. bound — certain
  12. bulb — for light
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. clip — a video
  19. drill — a practice
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. ball — a dance
  22. bound — obliged
  23. clip — for paper
  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