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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. staff — employees
  3. kid — to tease
  4. staff — employees
  5. tube — the underground
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. clip — to cut
  8. staff — a stick
  9. board — to get on
  10. clip — for paper
  11. board — a committee
  12. clip — a video
  13. firm — a company
  14. snap — to click
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. kid — child
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. vault — a safe
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. tube — a container
  23. firm — decided
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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