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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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Word bank
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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: pass · deal · hand · object · roll · ruler · clip · wake

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. object — an aim
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. wake — a trail
  7. hand — in cards
  8. clip — a video
  9. object — to protest
  10. pass — a permit
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. object — a thing
  14. deal — to handle
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. roll — a list
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. clip — to cut
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. clip — for paper
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. hand — help

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