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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. mug — to rob
  4. mark — a grade
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mug — a face
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. wind — moving air
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. clip — to cut
  12. drill — the tool
  13. mark — a trace
  14. court — of a king
  15. clip — a video
  16. court — of law
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. court — for sport
  19. wind — moving air
  20. clip — for paper
  21. mug — a cup
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. drill — a practice
  24. drill — army training

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