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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. lie — to recline
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. clip — for paper
  9. rush — hurry
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. cell — a phone
  16. clip — to cut
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. clip — a video
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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