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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: ruler · can · rush · present · bat · clip · board · pound

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. present — a gift
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. board — a committee
  5. rush — hurry
  6. present — the time now
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. can — a tin
  9. clip — for paper
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. board — to get on
  13. pound — a weight
  14. present — there
  15. clip — a video
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. can — to be able to
  20. can — a tin
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bat — the animal
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. ruler — a monarch

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