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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. clip — for paper
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. bear — the animal
  6. squash — the sport
  7. spring — of water
  8. squash — to crush
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. spring — the season
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bear — the animal
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. clip — to cut
  22. chair — a leader
  23. saw — the tool
  24. spring — a coil

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