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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rock — music
  3. rest — a break
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. club — for golf
  7. rest — what's left
  8. club — a group
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. club — for dancing
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rest — what's left
  13. drill — army training
  14. drill — a practice
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. clip — to cut
  17. drill — the tool
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. clip — for paper
  23. clip — a video
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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