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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. hand — in cards
  3. stand — to bear
  4. face — to point toward
  5. clip — a video
  6. face — to confront
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. face — part of the head
  12. hand — help
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. scale — size or range
  15. clip — for paper
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. tube — a container
  19. scale — in music
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. clip — to cut

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