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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. clip — to cut
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. last — to go on
  6. land — ground
  7. last — finally
  8. land — a country
  9. stand — to bear
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. cue — a signal
  12. object — a thing
  13. rush — hurry
  14. clip — for paper
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. land — to come down
  17. cue — for pool
  18. object — an aim
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. clip — a video
  21. cue — a hint
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. object — to protest
  24. stand — for spectators

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