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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: straw · rule · bowl · clip · fine · firm · ground · content

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. clip — to cut
  3. content — the amount
  4. fine — high quality
  5. rule — government
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. fine — all right
  8. content — happy
  9. rule — a law
  10. clip — a video
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. clip — for paper
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. ground — the earth
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. firm — decided
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. ground — a position
  23. ground — crushed
  24. firm — a company

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