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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. clip — a video
  6. net — for catching
  7. clip — for paper
  8. chest — of your body
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bulb — for light
  12. net — after costs
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. chest — a box
  15. scale — size or range
  16. clip — to cut
  17. scale — in music
  18. tear — to rip
  19. bulb — for light
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. chest — of your body

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