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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 116 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. rock — music
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. rock — a stone
  6. spell — magic
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. sharp — clever
  10. fine — all right
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. clip — to cut
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mate — a friend
  15. spell — letters
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. mate — a partner
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. clip — a video
  21. fine — high quality
  22. spell — a short time
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. sharp — exactly

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