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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. pop — music
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. ground — the earth
  5. clip — to cut
  6. fall — to drop
  7. drill — the tool
  8. present — the time now
  9. clip — for paper
  10. fall — the season
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pop — soda
  13. ground — a position
  14. bat — the animal
  15. ground — crushed
  16. drill — army training
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. present — a gift
  19. fall — to drop
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. present — there
  24. clip — a video

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