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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. tube — a container
  5. march — the month
  6. tube — the underground
  7. chip — for betting
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. degree — an amount
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. degree — from a university
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. chip — to eat
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. clip — a video
  17. march — music
  18. clip — for paper
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. march — the month
  21. bat — the animal
  22. degree — temperature
  23. clip — to cut
  24. fan — a supporter

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