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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 120 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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. drill — the tool
  4. land — ground
  5. firm — decided
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. rule — a law
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. snap — to click
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. drill — a practice
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. land — to come down
  17. row — to paddle
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. row — a line
  20. drill — army training
  21. lie — to recline
  22. rule — government
  23. land — a country
  24. firm — steady

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