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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. suit — clothes
  3. root — of a word
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. charge — a price
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — to cut
  9. suit — in cards
  10. root — of a plant
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. suit — to fit
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. root — the cause
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. wake — a trail
  19. clip — a video
  20. capital — money
  21. capital — a city
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. charge — electricity
  24. charge — in control

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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