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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fan · clip · fine · bowl · kick · mouse · sharp · tube

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. clip — to cut
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. tube — a container
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. clip — a video
  12. fine — all right
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. kick — in football
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. tube — the underground

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