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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. staff — employees
  3. firm — decided
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. prune — to trim
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. staff — a stick
  9. field — farmland
  10. firm — steady
  11. land — ground
  12. staff — employees
  13. clip — to cut
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. field — a subject
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. clip — a video
  18. field — for sport
  19. prune — to trim
  20. land — a country
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. land — to come down
  24. firm — a company

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