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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. firm — a company
  3. fork — in a road
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. staff — employees
  6. firm — steady
  7. wound — an injury
  8. chip — to eat
  9. last — to go on
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. firm — decided
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. staff — a stick
  14. bound — certain
  15. clip — for paper
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. bound — tied together
  18. last — finally
  19. chip — for betting
  20. last — final
  21. wound — an injury
  22. clip — a video
  23. staff — employees
  24. bound — obliged

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