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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. clip — to cut
  3. chest — a box
  4. firm — steady
  5. root — the cause
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. current — happening now
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. clip — for paper
  12. toast — bread
  13. current — of water
  14. chest — of your body
  15. firm — a company
  16. root — of a plant
  17. current — electric
  18. root — of a word
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. kid — child
  22. clip — a video
  23. kid — to tease
  24. bowl — to roll

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