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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. clip — a video
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. clip — for paper
  8. lean — to bend
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. clip — to cut
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. sharp — clever
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. row — a line
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. row — to paddle
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. lean — thin

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