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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 120 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: key · chair · clip · patient · ruler · rule · perch · foot

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. rule — government
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. chair — a leader
  7. clip — to cut
  8. key — for a lock
  9. rule — a law
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. perch — the fish
  13. foot — a measure
  14. key — the most important part
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. clip — a video
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. key — in music
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. ruler — for measuring

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