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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — for paper
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. last — to go on
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. pass — a permit
  8. rest — a break
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rush — hurry
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. bark — to shout
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. last — final
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. clip — to cut
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. racket — for tennis

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