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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. cap — a lid
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. key — for a lock
  5. roll — a cake
  6. rock — a stone
  7. kid — child
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. clip — to cut
  10. key — the most important part
  11. clip — for paper
  12. cap — of ice
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. key — in music
  15. clip — a video
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. rock — music
  18. roll — a list
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. kid — to tease
  21. cap — a hat
  22. wake — a trail
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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