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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. pass — a permit
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — for paper
  5. clip — a video
  6. scale — size or range
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. firm — decided
  9. race — humankind
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. foot — a measure
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. row — to paddle
  14. firm — a company
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. row — a line
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. race — the arms race
  22. scale — in music
  23. race — a contest
  24. foot — part of the body

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