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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. clip — to cut
  4. kid — to tease
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. clip — for paper
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. tear — from crying
  11. staff — employees
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. tear — to rip
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. tear — from crying
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — a stick
  19. kid — child
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. clip — a video
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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