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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. clip — for paper
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — farmland
  5. rock — a stone
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. mug — a cup
  9. mug — a face
  10. object — an aim
  11. row — to paddle
  12. clip — a video
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. object — to protest
  17. object — a thing
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. field — a subject
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. clip — to cut
  23. rock — music
  24. mug — to rob

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