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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pound — a weight
  3. clip — a video
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. clip — to cut
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wound — an injury
  11. tube — the underground
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of law
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. charge — electricity
  16. charge — a price
  17. tube — a container
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. court — of a king
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. charge — in control
  22. wound — an injury
  23. clip — for paper
  24. temple — side of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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