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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  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. scale — for weighing
  2. clip — for paper
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. wake — a trail
  6. clip — to cut
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. scale — in music
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. land — to come down
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. saw — the tool
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. land — ground
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. scale — size or range
  20. saw — the tool
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. land — a country
  23. foot — a measure
  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