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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cue — a hint
  4. row — to paddle
  5. fall — to drop
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. cell — in biology
  9. fall — the season
  10. pit — in a race
  11. cue — a signal
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. clip — to cut
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. row — a line
  16. fall — to drop
  17. clip — for paper
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. cue — for pool
  20. pit — a hole
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. toast — bread
  24. clip — a video

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