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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · firm · rule · chair · stand · clip

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. rule — a law
  5. clip — to cut
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. wind — moving air
  8. chair — a leader
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. firm — decided
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. clip — a video
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. wind — moving air
  15. firm — steady
  16. firm — a company
  17. stand — to bear
  18. clip — for paper

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