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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. can — to be able to
  3. firm — decided
  4. firm — steady
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. race — humankind
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. ball — a dance
  9. spring — of water
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. can — a tin
  12. clip — a video
  13. spring — a coil
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. game — a match
  16. spring — the season
  17. firm — a company
  18. ball — a great time
  19. race — the arms race
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — wild animals
  22. clip — to cut
  23. can — a tin
  24. race — a contest

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