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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. squash — the sport
  3. clip — to cut
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — to tease
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. bear — the animal
  8. squash — to crush
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. clip — a video
  11. suit — to fit
  12. clip — for paper
  13. bear — the animal
  14. game — wild animals
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. object — a thing
  18. suit — in cards
  19. object — to protest
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. game — a match
  22. suit — clothes
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. ruler — a monarch

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