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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 120 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: fan · fall · kick · rash · track · firm · clip · fine

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. firm — decided
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. track — to keep track
  8. track — a song
  9. clip — a video
  10. track — a path
  11. kick — in football
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fine — all right
  16. firm — a company
  17. clip — for paper
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — a series
  20. fine — high quality
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fall — the season
  23. rash — hasty
  24. clip — to cut

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