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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: racket · bowl · fan · ruler · plane · tear · cold · clip

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. plane — a tool
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. cold — an illness
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. tear — from crying
  8. clip — for paper
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. tear — from crying
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. tear — to rip
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. cold — not warm
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — a video
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. bowl — a dish

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