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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. key — for a lock
  4. drill — a practice
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. key — in music
  8. clip — for paper
  9. clip — a video
  10. drill — the tool
  11. clip — to cut
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — after costs
  14. game — wild animals
  15. net — in sport
  16. prune — to trim
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. prune — to trim
  21. kick — in football
  22. drill — army training
  23. key — the most important part
  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