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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. mug — a cup
  3. clip — for paper
  4. mug — to rob
  5. firm — a company
  6. clip — to cut
  7. band — a music group
  8. firm — decided
  9. chest — of your body
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. object — an aim
  12. board — a committee
  13. clip — a video
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. chest — a box
  16. chest — of your body
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. shower — rain
  19. band — a ring
  20. board — to get on
  21. firm — steady
  22. shower — to wash
  23. object — a thing
  24. mug — a face

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