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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. clip — a video
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. date — the fruit
  8. clip — for paper
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. cold — not warm
  16. clip — to cut
  17. cold — an illness
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. ball — a dance
  23. toast — bread
  24. ball — a great time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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