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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. clip — a video
  3. tube — the underground
  4. ball — a great time
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. tube — a container
  8. stand — to bear
  9. last — final
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. clip — for paper
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. ball — a dance
  14. last — finally
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. file — a tool
  17. clip — to cut
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. file — a line of people
  20. last — to go on
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. file — a document
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. fan — to cool the air

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