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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: game · bear · bowl · clip · wake · net · drill · rule

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. net — for catching
  4. bear — the animal
  5. net — in sport
  6. drill — army training
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. drill — a practice
  9. drill — the tool
  10. clip — a video
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. clip — for paper
  13. game — wild animals
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. rule — government
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. rule — a law
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bear — the animal
  22. net — after costs
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. game — a match

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