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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 124 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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. can — a tin
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. field — farmland
  5. can — a tin
  6. firm — a company
  7. can — to be able to
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. field — a subject
  11. clip — for paper
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. clip — to cut
  14. firm — steady
  15. firm — decided
  16. wind — moving air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. wind — moving air
  20. field — for sport
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. clip — a video
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — a jug

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