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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 always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  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. straw — a straw man
  2. kick — in football
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. clip — for paper
  7. fine — high quality
  8. wound — an injury
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. clip — to cut
  15. firm — decided
  16. chair — a leader
  17. firm — a company
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. wound — an injury
  20. fine — all right
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. deal — to handle
  23. firm — steady
  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