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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. clip — to cut
  6. cap — of ice
  7. race — the arms race
  8. mug — to rob
  9. race — humankind
  10. mug — a cup
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. mug — a face
  14. bulb — for light
  15. cap — a lid
  16. clip — for paper
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. race — a contest
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. clip — a video
  21. bulb — for light
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. cap — a hat

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