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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · mug · pop · fall · cold · rock · racket · firm

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. mug — to rob
  3. firm — steady
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. mug — a face
  6. firm — decided
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. pop — music
  9. rock — music
  10. cold — not warm
  11. rock — a stone
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. clip — for paper
  14. firm — a company
  15. clip — to cut
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. clip — a video
  18. pop — to visit
  19. fall — the season
  20. pop — soda
  21. mug — a cup
  22. fall — to drop
  23. cold — an illness
  24. racket — a loud noise

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