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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 116 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mate — a friend
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — to cut
  5. chip — for betting
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. prune — to trim
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. clip — for paper
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. track — a path
  12. prune — to trim
  13. mate — to breed
  14. track — to keep track
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. dip — to sink
  18. track — a song
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. mate — a partner
  24. chip — to eat

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