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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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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: cell · mark · clip · snap · game · ruler · field · fan

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. clip — a video
  4. mark — a trace
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. clip — to cut
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. field — for sport
  10. snap — to click
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. game — a match
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. cell — a phone
  17. field — farmland
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. field — a subject
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — wild animals
  23. mark — a grade
  24. fan — a supporter

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