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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.

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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. key — for a lock
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. ground — a position
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. band — a music group
  13. ball — a dance
  14. chair — a leader
  15. key — in music
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. band — a ring
  18. ground — the earth
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. key — the most important part
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. foot — a measure
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. fan — to cool the air

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