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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. clip — to cut
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. last — final
  6. pitch — completely
  7. clip — for paper
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — the season
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. firm — a company
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. last — finally
  15. fall — to drop
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. foot — a measure
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. last — to go on
  23. clip — a video
  24. firm — decided

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