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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bark — to shout
  4. cap — a lid
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. foot — a measure
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. band — a ring
  9. clip — for paper
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. clip — to cut
  12. cap — a hat
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. band — a music group
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. cap — of ice
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. clip — a video
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. toast — bread
  24. bowl — a dish

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