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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: band · pop · pitcher · ruler · clip · straw · kid · net

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. clip — a video
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — after costs
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. band — a ring
  10. kid — to tease
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pop — soda
  15. band — a music group
  16. kid — child
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. net — for catching
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. pop — music
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. clip — for paper
  24. clip — to cut

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