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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. cell — a phone
  3. bound — obliged
  4. rest — what's left
  5. clip — a video
  6. row — to paddle
  7. content — the amount
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. board — a committee
  10. clip — to cut
  11. rest — what's left
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — certain
  15. cell — in biology
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. clip — for paper
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. content — happy
  20. row — a line
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. board — to get on
  24. rest — a break

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