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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. charge — electricity
  3. firm — steady
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wound — an injury
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. wound — an injury
  9. charge — a price
  10. clip — to cut
  11. band — a ring
  12. clip — for paper
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. firm — a company
  16. clip — a video
  17. band — a music group
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. wake — a trail
  20. charge — in control
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. firm — decided

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