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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. mug — a cup
  3. clip — a video
  4. mug — a face
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. band — a music group
  11. can — a tin
  12. wind — moving air
  13. clip — to cut
  14. band — a ring
  15. clip — for paper
  16. can — to be able to
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. mug — to rob
  20. squash — to crush
  21. bat — the animal
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. squash — the vegetable

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