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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. firm — steady
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. wound — an injury
  6. kid — child
  7. clip — a video
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. bound — certain
  10. wound — an injury
  11. clip — to cut
  12. bass — low music
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. kid — to tease
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bound — obliged
  19. firm — a company
  20. clip — for paper
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bass — the fish
  23. pitch — completely
  24. firm — decided

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