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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. court — of law
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — temperature
  5. rule — a law
  6. saw — the tool
  7. firm — steady
  8. clip — for paper
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rule — government
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. plane — a tool
  14. court — of a king
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. firm — a company
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. clip — a video
  21. court — for sport
  22. saw — the tool
  23. firm — decided
  24. degree — an amount

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