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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
468
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: clip · wind · ruler · stock · mine · cabinet · safe · pitcher

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. clip — to cut
  6. mine — for digging
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. clip — for paper
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wind — moving air
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — goods
  14. clip — a video
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wind — moving air
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. cabinet — ministers

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