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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 116 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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. rash — hasty
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pitch — completely
  10. clip — for paper
  11. shower — rain
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. clip — a video
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. tube — the underground
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. tube — a container
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. rash — a series
  21. cap — a lid
  22. clip — to cut
  23. cap — a hat
  24. fan — a supporter

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