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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. can — a tin
  3. board — a committee
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. pitch — completely
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. clip — for paper
  8. can — to be able to
  9. board — to get on
  10. field — for sport
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. field — a subject
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. dip — to sink
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. clip — to cut
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. can — a tin
  20. field — farmland
  21. wax — to grow
  22. clip — a video
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. pitch — a sports field

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