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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. rash — hasty
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. pass — a permit
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. clip — for paper
  10. current — of water
  11. clip — to cut
  12. current — happening now
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. chair — a leader
  16. staff — employees
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. dip — to sink
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. rash — a series
  21. current — electric
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. clip — a video

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