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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  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. clip — for paper
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. ball — a dance
  4. squash — the sport
  5. rule — government
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. ball — a great time
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. firm — steady
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. tear — to rip
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. tear — from crying
  15. clip — a video
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. squash — to crush
  18. tear — from crying
  19. firm — a company
  20. dip — to sink
  21. sharp — clever
  22. rule — a law
  23. clip — to cut
  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