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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. clip — a video
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bulb — for light
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. clip — to cut
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. rush — hurry
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. foot — a measure
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. bulb — for light
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. wind — moving air
  24. clip — for paper

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