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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bark — to shout
  5. spell — a short time
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. clip — to cut
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — a break
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. spell — letters
  12. bear — the animal
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. spell — magic
  15. clip — for paper
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. game — a match
  18. court — of law
  19. court — of a king
  20. clip — a video
  21. court — for sport
  22. bear — the animal
  23. game — wild animals
  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