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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 120 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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. wake — a trail
  3. rush — hurry
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. last — final
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. kick — in football
  11. clip — for paper
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. chip — for betting
  14. last — finally
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. last — to go on
  21. clip — to cut
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. clip — a video
  24. ruler — for measuring

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