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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. clip — to cut
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. foot — a measure
  8. content — the amount
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. content — happy
  11. clip — a video
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. rule — a law
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. clip — for paper
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. rule — government
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. plane — a tool

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