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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. rush — hurry
  3. object — an aim
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. clip — to cut
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. firm — a company
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cue — a signal
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. object — to protest
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. firm — steady
  18. firm — decided
  19. clip — a video
  20. object — a thing
  21. cue — a hint
  22. clip — for paper
  23. mine — for digging
  24. nail — for a hammer

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