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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: tear · content · sharp · rule · current · firm · foot · clip

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. tear — to rip
  3. rule — government
  4. current — happening now
  5. content — the amount
  6. foot — a measure
  7. firm — a company
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. content — happy
  10. firm — decided
  11. rule — a law
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. current — electric
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — a video
  16. current — of water
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. tear — from crying
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. tear — from crying
  22. clip — to cut
  23. firm — steady
  24. foot — the bottom

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