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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. clip — a video
  4. last — finally
  5. firm — steady
  6. suit — in cards
  7. cap — of ice
  8. suit — clothes
  9. cap — a lid
  10. clip — to cut
  11. last — to go on
  12. clip — for paper
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — a position
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. firm — a company
  18. suit — to fit
  19. cap — a hat
  20. ground — the earth
  21. last — final
  22. scale — in music
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. scale — size or range

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