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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 124 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. roll — a cake
  6. cue — a signal
  7. rash — a series
  8. key — for a lock
  9. roll — a list
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. cue — for pool
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. rash — hasty
  15. cue — a hint
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. key — the most important part
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. key — in music
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — a video
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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