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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. clip — to cut
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — after costs
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. prune — to trim
  10. chair — a leader
  11. tear — from crying
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. tear — from crying
  14. net — in sport
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. clip — for paper
  18. clip — a video
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. tear — to rip
  21. prune — to trim
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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