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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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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 · pitch · hand · root · bound · clip · rest · mouse

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. hand — help
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. hand — in cards
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bound — tied together
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. clip — to cut
  11. bound — obliged
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. root — the cause
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. rest — what's left
  19. root — of a plant
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. clip — a video
  22. root — of a word
  23. clip — for paper
  24. bound — certain

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