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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 120 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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. pass — a permit
  4. clip — for paper
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. band — a music group
  7. degree — an amount
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. degree — temperature
  11. charge — in control
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. clip — a video
  14. sharp — clever
  15. charge — electricity
  16. charge — a price
  17. degree — from a university
  18. clip — to cut
  19. lie — to recline
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. band — a ring

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