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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 116 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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. clip — a video
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. swing — in golf
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. cap — a lid
  7. hand — help
  8. clip — for paper
  9. swing — to play on
  10. cap — of ice
  11. swing — music
  12. rock — a stone
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. rock — music
  15. hand — in cards
  16. suit — to fit
  17. march — the month
  18. suit — clothes
  19. march — music
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. suit — in cards
  22. clip — to cut
  23. march — the month
  24. hand — part of the body

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