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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. clip — to cut
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. track — a song
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. clip — for paper
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. mark — a trace
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. chest — of your body
  11. track — a path
  12. charge — electricity
  13. charge — in control
  14. chest — of your body
  15. sharp — clever
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. mark — a grade
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. charge — a price
  22. clip — a video
  23. pitch — completely
  24. track — to keep track

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