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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 120 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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. suit — clothes
  4. suit — in cards
  5. ground — the earth
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — for paper
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wound — an injury
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. ball — a great time
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. clip — to cut
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. ground — a position
  22. suit — to fit
  23. ball — a dance
  24. leaves — to go away

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