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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. clip — to cut
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. squash — to crush
  9. hand — in cards
  10. wound — an injury
  11. squash — the sport
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. clip — a video
  14. foot — a measure
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. saw — the tool
  17. clip — for paper
  18. hand — help
  19. wound — an injury
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. saw — the tool
  24. ruler — for measuring

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