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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. clip — to cut
  4. track — to keep track
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. clip — for paper
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. track — a path
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. fork — in a road
  14. clip — a video
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. track — a song
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. fork — to eat with

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