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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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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: hide · hand · stand · ground · clip · last · drill · ruler

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — in cards
  4. ground — a position
  5. clip — to cut
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. stand — to bear
  11. drill — a practice
  12. clip — for paper
  13. ground — crushed
  14. last — finally
  15. last — to go on
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. ground — the earth
  20. last — final
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — army training
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. hide — to keep secret

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