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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 116 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: deal · hide · cold · rock · race · clip · pitcher · ruler

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — a stone
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. race — humankind
  5. race — the arms race
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. clip — a video
  11. cold — not warm
  12. deal — to handle
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. cold — an illness
  15. race — a contest
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. clip — to cut
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. clip — for paper

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