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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  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 — a monarch
  2. file — a line of people
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. clip — a video
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. file — a tool
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. pit — in a race
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. scale — size or range
  11. pit — a hole
  12. scale — in music
  13. land — to come down
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. clip — for paper
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. file — a document
  18. land — ground
  19. wax — to grow
  20. land — a country
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. clip — to cut
  23. mouse — the animal
  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