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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. squash — to crush
  3. clip — for paper
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. clip — a video
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. track — to keep track
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. track — a path
  12. track — a song
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — money
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. chair — a leader
  18. clip — to cut
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. squash — the sport
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. cabinet — ministers

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