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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. suit — to fit
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. clip — to cut
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. clip — for paper
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. mine — for digging
  12. suit — in cards
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. lie — to recline
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. clip — a video
  19. saw — the tool
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. foot — a measure
  22. suit — clothes
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. saw — the tool

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