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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 works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  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. firm — a company
  2. firm — steady
  3. object — an aim
  4. kick — in football
  5. tear — to rip
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. object — a thing
  8. tear — from crying
  9. firm — decided
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. drill — a practice
  14. clip — for paper
  15. tear — from crying
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — army training
  18. object — to protest
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. perch — the fish
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. clip — to cut
  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