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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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468
Word bank
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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. spell — letters
  3. squash — the sport
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. clip — to cut
  6. march — the month
  7. spell — a short time
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. march — music
  11. clip — a video
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. spell — magic
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. march — the month
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. squash — to crush
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. pit — a hole
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. pit — in a race
  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