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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. rest — what's left
  3. squash — the sport
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bat — the animal
  7. key — in music
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. squash — to crush
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — help
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. key — the most important part
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. rest — what's left
  19. key — for a lock
  20. rest — a break
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. hand — part of the body

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