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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. present — the time now
  5. rash — hasty
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. kid — to tease
  8. board — a committee
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. clip — to cut
  11. board — to get on
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. clip — for paper
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. rash — a series
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. clip — a video
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. present — a gift
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. kid — child
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — to cool the air

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