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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. dip — to sink
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. last — finally
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — for paper
  11. last — to go on
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. march — music
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. last — final
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. march — the month
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. march — the month
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. saw — the tool
  24. fan — to cool the air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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