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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. tube — the underground
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. clip — for paper
  5. tube — a container
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. branch — a division
  9. pit — in a race
  10. clip — to cut
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. pit — a hole
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — to rip
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. clip — a video
  21. sharp — clever
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. rush — hurry

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