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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. suit — in cards
  3. present — there
  4. suit — clothes
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. rock — a stone
  7. kid — to tease
  8. clip — for paper
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pound — a weight
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. present — the time now
  16. clip — a video
  17. present — a gift
  18. rock — music
  19. kid — child
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. clip — to cut
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — clever

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