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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 116 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. file — a tool
  5. clip — a video
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bat — the animal
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. file — a document
  11. bulb — for light
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. file — a line of people
  18. clip — to cut
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bore — to drill
  23. clip — for paper
  24. mouse — for a computer

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