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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. fork — in a road
  3. clip — a video
  4. cold — an illness
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. tear — from crying
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. swing — to play on
  11. tear — from crying
  12. clip — for paper
  13. cold — not warm
  14. clip — to cut
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. tear — to rip
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. swing — music
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. swing — in golf
  24. ruler — a monarch

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