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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: drill · clip · ruler · root · pass · board · racket · stand

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  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. racket — a loud noise
  2. pass — a permit
  3. root — of a word
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — army training
  6. clip — a video
  7. root — of a plant
  8. stand — to bear
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. root — the cause
  12. clip — for paper
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. clip — to cut
  16. board — a committee
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. board — to get on
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. drill — a practice
  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