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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. lie — to recline
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — to cut
  8. kick — in football
  9. mug — to rob
  10. mug — a cup
  11. band — a ring
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. wake — a trail
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. mug — a face
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. clip — a video
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. deal — to handle
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. band — a music group

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