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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  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. firm — steady
  2. court — for sport
  3. object — a thing
  4. ground — a position
  5. firm — decided
  6. can — a tin
  7. cue — for pool
  8. clip — to cut
  9. cue — a hint
  10. clip — for paper
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bore — to drill
  13. can — a tin
  14. object — to protest
  15. can — to be able to
  16. object — an aim
  17. bore — to tire
  18. court — of law
  19. court — of a king
  20. firm — a company
  21. cue — a signal
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — crushed
  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