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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — a video
  3. firm — steady
  4. present — the time now
  5. land — to come down
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — clever
  9. cell — in biology
  10. mug — a face
  11. clip — to cut
  12. cell — a phone
  13. present — a gift
  14. swing — in golf
  15. mug — a cup
  16. firm — decided
  17. swing — to play on
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. land — a country
  20. land — ground
  21. mug — to rob
  22. swing — music
  23. present — there
  24. firm — a company

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