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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: clip · rest · club · ruler · arm · pound

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. clip — a video
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. pound — a weight
  8. rest — what's left
  9. club — for golf
  10. club — for dancing
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. rest — what's left
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. clip — to cut
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. rest — a break
  17. clip — for paper
  18. club — a group

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