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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: chair · clip · cap · drill · toast · firm · rule · lash

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. rule — a law
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. clip — a video
  5. cap — a lid
  6. firm — decided
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. rule — government
  9. firm — a company
  10. drill — the tool
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. cap — of ice
  14. toast — bread
  15. drill — army training
  16. chair — a leader
  17. cap — a hat
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. clip — to cut
  20. firm — steady
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. drill — a practice
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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