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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 120 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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. clip — to cut
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. pass — a permit
  5. land — a country
  6. club — a group
  7. chip — for betting
  8. club — for golf
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. wake — a trail
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. land — ground
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. chip — to eat
  15. land — to come down
  16. clip — a video
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. clip — for paper
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. capital — money
  22. capital — a city
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. club — for dancing

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