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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  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. temple — a place of worship
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. clip — for paper
  7. march — the month
  8. wake — a trail
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cell — in biology
  11. march — music
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — a video
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cell — a phone
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. march — the month
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. fan — a supporter
  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