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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. net — in sport
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. cue — a hint
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. clip — for paper
  7. cue — for pool
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. plane — a tool
  10. chest — a box
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. last — finally
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. last — final
  16. chest — of your body
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. chest — of your body
  19. clip — a video
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. net — for catching
  22. cue — a signal
  23. net — after costs
  24. clip — to cut

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