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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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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. staff — employees
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. spell — a short time
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. spell — letters
  8. clip — a video
  9. bulb — for light
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. squash — the sport
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. clip — to cut
  14. spell — magic
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. fork — in a road
  17. bass — low music
  18. staff — a stick
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. squash — to crush
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. clip — for paper
  24. bass — the fish

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