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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  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. fan — to cool the air
  2. mug — a cup
  3. chest — of your body
  4. clip — for paper
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. season — in sport
  7. chest — of your body
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. season — of the year
  11. current — electric
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. chest — a box
  15. current — happening now
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. mug — a face
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. mug — to rob
  20. plane — a tool
  21. clip — a video
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. current — of water
  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