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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. bank — for money
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. clip — a video
  7. pit — in a race
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. clip — for paper
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — for digging
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bank — of a river
  18. clip — to cut
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. bank — for money
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. rush — hurry

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