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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: ruler · pit · clip · hide · rash · perch · mate · shower

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. rash — a series
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. rash — hasty
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. mate — a partner
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. shower — to wash
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. pit — a hole
  12. clip — to cut
  13. perch — the fish
  14. mate — a friend
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. shower — rain
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. pit — in a race
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. clip — for paper
  23. mate — to breed
  24. perch — for a bird

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