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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. tear — from crying
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. can — a tin
  7. ball — a dance
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. tear — to rip
  13. can — to be able to
  14. ball — a great time
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. pitch — completely
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — a video
  21. tear — from crying
  22. clip — for paper
  23. can — a tin
  24. calf — of the leg

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