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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. chest — of your body
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. firm — decided
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. net — after costs
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. object — an aim
  9. perch — the fish
  10. chest — of your body
  11. object — a thing
  12. net — in sport
  13. clip — for paper
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. chest — a box
  18. clip — a video
  19. object — to protest
  20. firm — steady
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. net — for catching
  24. firm — a company

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