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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fine — all right
  4. kick — in football
  5. wound — an injury
  6. current — of water
  7. current — happening now
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — to cut
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wound — an injury
  14. board — to get on
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. fine — high quality
  20. current — electric
  21. board — a committee
  22. clip — for paper
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. lean — to bend

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