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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. clip — for paper
  3. club — a group
  4. court — for sport
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. clip — to cut
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cap — a hat
  14. club — for golf
  15. cap — of ice
  16. clip — a video
  17. court — of a king
  18. rush — hurry
  19. court — of law
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. pass — a permit
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. club — for dancing
  24. rush — to hurry

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