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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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. mark — a grade
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fall — the season
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — to cut
  7. tear — from crying
  8. fall — to drop
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. craft — a skill
  12. mark — a trace
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — to rip
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. craft — boats
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fine — all right
  22. clip — for paper
  23. fine — high quality
  24. coach — a trainer

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