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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — a video
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bass — low music
  9. court — of a king
  10. pit — in a race
  11. wind — moving air
  12. fork — in a road
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. court — of law
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. bass — the fish
  19. court — for sport
  20. pit — a hole
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. wake — a trail
  24. clip — to cut

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