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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pass · ball · toast · clip · stand · cold · nail · fan

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. clip — for paper
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. ball — a great time
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. ball — a dance
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. clip — to cut
  12. stand — to bear
  13. toast — bread
  14. cold — an illness
  15. pass — a permit
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. clip — a video
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. cold — not warm
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. cold — the Cold War

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