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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: stem · drill · present · fine · clip · object · firm · court

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. drill — army training
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. object — an aim
  6. court — of a king
  7. clip — for paper
  8. court — of law
  9. present — a gift
  10. object — a thing
  11. firm — a company
  12. present — there
  13. drill — a practice
  14. firm — steady
  15. object — to protest
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. clip — to cut
  18. drill — the tool
  19. clip — a video
  20. present — the time now
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. firm — decided
  23. stem — to come from
  24. court — for sport

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