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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. drill — a practice
  3. drill — the tool
  4. clip — for paper
  5. content — happy
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — a video
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. drill — army training
  10. rule — government
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. rule — a law
  13. firm — a company
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — letters
  16. track — to keep track
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. content — the amount
  19. track — a song
  20. firm — decided
  21. spell — magic
  22. track — a path
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. rule — to rule out

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