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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. ground — a position
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. pitch — completely
  9. kid — child
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. season — of the year
  12. bark — to shout
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. ground — crushed
  17. season — in sport
  18. current — happening now
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. clip — a video
  21. current — electric
  22. current — of water
  23. clip — to cut
  24. clip — for paper

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