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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: clip · safe · firm · tear · rule · hand · bay · nail

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. tear — from crying
  3. clip — for paper
  4. rule — a law
  5. firm — decided
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. tear — from crying
  9. clip — to cut
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. hand — in cards
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. rule — government
  17. firm — a company
  18. firm — steady
  19. clip — a video
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bay — a horse colour

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