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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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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. shower — rain
  3. snap — to click
  4. key — in music
  5. key — for a lock
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. key — the most important part
  8. ball — a dance
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. shower — to wash
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. saw — the tool
  17. ball — a great time
  18. ball — a round shape

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