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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. cell — in biology
  4. tube — the underground
  5. cell — a phone
  6. clip — to cut
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. net — in sport
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. tube — a container
  11. net — for catching
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. net — after costs
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — crushed
  19. clip — a video
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pass — a permit
  22. clip — for paper
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. ground — a position

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