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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. charge — in control
  3. clip — a video
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. cold — not warm
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. charge — electricity
  9. clip — to cut
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. squash — the sport
  12. charge — a price
  13. squash — to crush
  14. clip — for paper
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. saw — the tool
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — animal skin
  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