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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  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 — a supporter
  2. clip — to cut
  3. game — a match
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. game — wild animals
  9. firm — a company
  10. cold — not warm
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. firm — decided
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. clip — a video
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. firm — steady
  20. clip — for paper
  21. cold — an illness
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. fine — all right
  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