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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. net — in sport
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. scale — in music
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. scale — size or range
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pound — a weight
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bulb — for light
  14. clip — a video
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. net — for catching
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. clip — for paper
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. clip — to cut
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. net — after costs
  23. bulb — for light
  24. scale — for weighing

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