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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. cap — of ice
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. game — a match
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. cap — a lid
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — a video
  9. squash — the sport
  10. cue — a hint
  11. file — a line of people
  12. file — a tool
  13. rock — a stone
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. cap — a hat
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. rock — music
  20. file — a document
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. clip — to cut
  23. cue — for pool
  24. cue — a signal

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