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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. clip — for paper
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. cue — for pool
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. shower — to wash
  8. key — for a lock
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. cue — a signal
  11. key — the most important part
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. clip — a video
  15. clip — to cut
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. cue — a hint
  18. shower — rain
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. season — in sport
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. key — in music
  24. season — of the year

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