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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. firm — decided
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. march — the month
  6. clip — to cut
  7. rule — government
  8. board — to get on
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. firm — steady
  13. firm — a company
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. clip — for paper
  16. rule — a law
  17. object — an aim
  18. march — music
  19. object — to protest
  20. board — a committee
  21. object — a thing
  22. march — the month
  23. mark — a trace
  24. clip — a video

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