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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  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. suit — to fit
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. rule — a law
  4. squash — the sport
  5. tear — from crying
  6. clip — to cut
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. tear — from crying
  12. clip — a video
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. suit — in cards
  17. clip — for paper
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. tear — to rip
  20. rule — government
  21. suit — clothes
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. squash — to crush
  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