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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. object — a thing
  3. scale — in music
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. wound — an injury
  7. clip — to cut
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. snap — to click
  10. object — to protest
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. track — to keep track
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. clip — for paper
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. object — an aim
  18. scale — size or range
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. track — a song
  21. track — a path
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. clip — a video
  24. wound — an injury

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