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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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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 · clip · pitcher · march · club · bear · race · mouse

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. clip — a video
  5. race — the arms race
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. march — the month
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. march — music
  15. club — for dancing
  16. bear — the animal
  17. race — humankind
  18. club — for golf
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — to cut
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. march — the month
  23. race — a contest
  24. bear — the animal

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