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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: pop · pitcher · suit · ruler · clip · net · drill · fall

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. net — after costs
  3. suit — clothes
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. clip — a video
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. suit — to fit
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pop — soda
  10. clip — to cut
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. fall — to drop
  13. pop — to visit
  14. fall — to drop
  15. drill — a practice
  16. pop — music
  17. suit — in cards
  18. net — in sport
  19. drill — army training
  20. clip — for paper
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. fall — the season
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. net — for catching

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