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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
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: clip · firm · jam · rule · suit · saw · chair · temple

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. chair — a leader
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. suit — to fit
  6. suit — clothes
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. firm — steady
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. suit — in cards
  17. firm — a company
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — a video
  22. firm — decided
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. rule — a law

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