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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — a video
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. rest — what's left
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. file — a document
  9. fine — all right
  10. snap — to click
  11. clip — for paper
  12. rest — what's left
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. fine — high quality
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wake — a trail
  20. file — a line of people
  21. file — a tool
  22. rest — a break
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. wake — before a funeral

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