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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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 — a video
  3. tube — the underground
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. mate — a partner
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. shower — rain
  13. mate — a friend
  14. tube — a container
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. clip — to cut
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. chair — a leader
  21. shower — to wash
  22. clip — for paper
  23. mate — to breed
  24. lash — an eyelash

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