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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. clip — to cut
  3. last — finally
  4. firm — decided
  5. firm — steady
  6. clip — a video
  7. last — final
  8. vault — a safe
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — letters
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. spell — magic
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. ball — a dance
  17. bass — the fish
  18. pass — a permit
  19. bass — low music
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. clip — for paper
  22. ball — a great time
  23. last — to go on
  24. ball — a round shape

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