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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · pitcher · game · fine · bat · clip · stand · rule

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. bat — the animal
  3. game — a match
  4. fine — high quality
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. clip — to cut
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. clip — for paper
  15. fine — all right
  16. rule — government
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. clip — a video
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. rule — a law
  22. stand — to bear
  23. fine — a penalty
  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