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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. firm — a company
  3. clip — for paper
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. bank — for money
  6. spell — magic
  7. firm — decided
  8. firm — steady
  9. object — an aim
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. clip — to cut
  13. object — a thing
  14. clip — a video
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. spell — a short time
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. object — to protest
  20. bank — of a river
  21. face — to point toward
  22. bank — for money
  23. spell — letters
  24. face — part of the head

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