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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  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. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. chair — a leader
  4. rash — hasty
  5. face — to point toward
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. perch — the fish
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. face — part of the head
  10. suit — in cards
  11. rash — a series
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. suit — to fit
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. clip — for paper
  19. suit — clothes
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. clip — to cut
  22. face — to confront
  23. rash — on the skin
  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