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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fine — high quality
  3. clip — to cut
  4. foot — a measure
  5. fine — all right
  6. charge — in control
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. charge — a price
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. clip — a video
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. wound — an injury
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. clip — for paper
  21. charge — electricity
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. patient — a sick person

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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