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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.

Make a worksheet

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: bay · clip · mark · rush · perch · leaves · fan · deal

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. rush — hurry
  7. mark — a trace
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. deal — to handle
  13. mark — a grade
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. perch — the fish
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. clip — to cut
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. clip — a video
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. leaves — of a tree

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