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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. chest — of your body
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. fine — all right
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. clip — for paper
  8. chest — a box
  9. rest — a break
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. rest — what's left
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. pit — a hole
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rest — what's left
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pit — in a race
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. chest — of your body
  22. clip — to cut
  23. clip — a video
  24. fine — high quality

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