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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. clip — for paper
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bank — for money
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bank — for money
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. content — happy
  9. clip — a video
  10. content — the amount
  11. rash — a series
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. clip — to cut
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. ball — a dance
  18. land — ground
  19. bank — of a river
  20. ball — a great time
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. land — a country
  23. land — to come down
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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