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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. mine — for digging
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. firm — a company
  6. drill — army training
  7. cap — a hat
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. drill — the tool
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mate — to breed
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — a video
  14. drill — a practice
  15. sharp — clever
  16. cap — of ice
  17. firm — steady
  18. firm — decided
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. clip — for paper
  21. stand — to bear
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mate — a friend

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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