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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  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. jam — in traffic
  3. last — final
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. last — finally
  7. clip — a video
  8. last — to go on
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. suit — to fit
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. suit — in cards
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. clip — for paper
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. clip — to cut
  18. suit — clothes
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. scale — in music
  21. wax — to grow
  22. scale — size or range
  23. jam — a tight spot
  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