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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. clip — for paper
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. last — to go on
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. last — finally
  9. firm — a company
  10. firm — steady
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. clip — to cut
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. rash — a series
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rash — hasty
  17. hand — help
  18. stem — to come from
  19. firm — decided
  20. clip — a video
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. plane — a tool
  23. hand — in cards
  24. ruler — for measuring

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