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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. spell — letters
  4. drill — the tool
  5. pound — a weight
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. staff — employees
  10. clip — a video
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. fork — in a road
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. clip — for paper
  15. drill — a practice
  16. staff — employees
  17. spell — magic
  18. drill — army training
  19. spell — a short time
  20. clip — to cut
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pass — a permit
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. fork — a garden tool

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