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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 124 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. sharp — clever
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. ball — a great time
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. ball — a dance
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. branch — a division
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — a video
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. bay — a horse colour

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