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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 116 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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. key — the most important part
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. key — for a lock
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. court — of a king
  13. file — a document
  14. key — in music
  15. court — for sport
  16. file — a line of people
  17. court — of law
  18. 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