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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 · deal · chest · fan · plane · ruler · firm · toast

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. firm — a company
  3. chest — of your body
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. deal — to handle
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. toast — bread
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. clip — for paper
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. firm — steady
  12. firm — decided
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. chest — a box
  16. plane — a tool
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. chest — of your body
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. clip — a video
  24. fan — a supporter

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