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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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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 broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. stand — to bear
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. clip — for paper
  6. rule — government
  7. row — a line
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. row — to paddle
  11. mark — a grade
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kid — child
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. toast — bread
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. clip — a video
  19. kid — to tease
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. clip — to cut
  22. rule — a law
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. mark — a trace

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