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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: clip · cue · drill · firm · ball · wake · tear · nail

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. ball — a dance
  3. firm — steady
  4. tear — from crying
  5. clip — for paper
  6. wake — a trail
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. firm — decided
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. ball — a great time
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — a practice
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — to rip
  16. clip — to cut
  17. clip — a video
  18. cue — for pool
  19. firm — a company
  20. drill — army training
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. cue — a signal
  24. cue — a hint

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