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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. rule — government
  3. firm — a company
  4. band — a ring
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mate — to breed
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. clip — a video
  11. charge — electricity
  12. firm — decided
  13. clip — for paper
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. rule — a law
  16. band — a music group
  17. clip — to cut
  18. charge — in control
  19. mate — a friend
  20. wound — an injury
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. mate — a partner
  24. charge — a price

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