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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. clip — a video
  4. season — of the year
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — in sport
  8. drill — army training
  9. clip — to cut
  10. bass — low music
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. lean — to bend
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. object — a thing
  16. bass — the fish
  17. drill — a practice
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. object — to protest
  20. drill — the tool
  21. lean — thin
  22. bat — the animal
  23. clip — for paper
  24. fan — to cool the air

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