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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. cold — not warm
  3. clip — to cut
  4. key — in music
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. key — for a lock
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. key — the most important part
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. clip — a video
  14. game — a match
  15. perch — the fish
  16. suit — to fit
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. suit — clothes
  19. game — wild animals
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. suit — in cards
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. game — a kind of play

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