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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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fine — all right
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. scale — size or range
  6. bound — tied together
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. bound — certain
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fine — high quality
  12. swing — to play on
  13. bound — obliged
  14. key — for a lock
  15. wound — an injury
  16. key — in music
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. swing — music
  19. swing — in golf
  20. branch — a division
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. key — the most important part
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — in music

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