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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. court — of law
  3. deal — to handle
  4. clip — a video
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. clip — for paper
  9. rush — hurry
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. stand — to bear
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. court — for sport
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. court — of a king
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. clip — to cut
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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