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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. file — a tool
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. season — of the year
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — to visit
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — to cut
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. season — in sport
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. rule — government
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. file — a line of people
  23. file — a document
  24. rule — a law

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