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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: stick · last · safe · bass · hand · clip · firm · degree

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. last — to go on
  4. degree — an amount
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — a video
  7. degree — temperature
  8. hand — in cards
  9. degree — from a university
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. hand — help
  13. firm — a company
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bass — the fish
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. last — final
  18. firm — decided
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. last — finally
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. bass — low music
  24. safe — out of danger

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