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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: rash · perch · face · scale · hide · ruler · clip · race

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. scale — size or range
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. face — to point toward
  6. race — the arms race
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — to cut
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. scale — in music
  11. rash — hasty
  12. face — part of the head
  13. perch — the fish
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. race — humankind
  17. face — to confront
  18. race — a contest
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. clip — a video
  23. perch — for a bird
  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