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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. drill — army training
  4. shower — rain
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. ground — crushed
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. clip — for paper
  9. ground — the earth
  10. drill — the tool
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. clip — to cut
  13. firm — steady
  14. firm — decided
  15. rule — government
  16. fork — in a road
  17. shower — to wash
  18. clip — a video
  19. drill — a practice
  20. rule — a law
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. ground — a position

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