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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  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. clip — to cut
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. clip — a video
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. rush — hurry
  8. key — for a lock
  9. squash — to crush
  10. key — the most important part
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. clip — for paper
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. key — in music
  20. squash — the sport
  21. content — happy
  22. content — the amount
  23. rush — to hurry
  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