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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. season — in sport
  4. last — final
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. season — of the year
  7. clip — to cut
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. perch — the fish
  10. clip — for paper
  11. scale — in music
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — finally
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. clip — a video
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. scale — size or range

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