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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. pop — music
  4. clip — a video
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. clip — to cut
  7. shower — rain
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. snap — to click
  12. current — electric
  13. pop — soda
  14. shower — to wash
  15. bound — tied together
  16. clip — for paper
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — obliged
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. current — of water
  23. pop — to visit
  24. current — happening now

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