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

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. game — a match
  4. game — wild animals
  5. clip — to cut
  6. firm — steady
  7. clip — for paper
  8. lie — to recline
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bear — the animal
  11. wake — a trail
  12. current — happening now
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. current — of water
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. clip — a video
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. firm — decided
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. current — electric

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