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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. suit — clothes
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — money
  8. clip — a video
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. fork — in a road
  12. game — wild animals
  13. suit — in cards
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. clip — for paper
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. game — a match
  20. capital — a city
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. suit — to fit

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