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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. clip — for paper
  3. drill — the tool
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. capital — money
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. charge — electricity
  8. wind — moving air
  9. charge — a price
  10. clip — a video
  11. drill — army training
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. stand — to bear
  14. firm — decided
  15. wind — moving air
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. firm — a company
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. firm — steady
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. charge — in control
  22. clip — to cut
  23. capital — a city
  24. drill — a practice

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