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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. mug — to rob
  3. net — after costs
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. clip — to cut
  7. scale — in music
  8. mug — a cup
  9. squash — the sport
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. mug — a face
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. net — in sport
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. net — for catching
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. squash — to crush
  22. scale — size or range
  23. clip — a video
  24. nail — for a hammer

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