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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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. pound — a weight
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. clip — a video
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. squash — to crush
  11. deal — to handle
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. fine — high quality
  15. squash — the sport
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. fine — all right
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. clip — to cut
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. clip — for paper

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