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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. kid — to tease
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. firm — a company
  6. clip — a video
  7. object — to protest
  8. firm — decided
  9. cue — a hint
  10. kid — child
  11. object — a thing
  12. clip — to cut
  13. cue — for pool
  14. pitch — completely
  15. object — an aim
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. cue — a signal
  18. clip — for paper

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