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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. key — in music
  3. key — for a lock
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. saw — the tool
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. perch — the fish
  8. track — a song
  9. degree — from a university
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. degree — an amount
  12. field — a subject
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. degree — temperature
  16. fork — in a road
  17. key — the most important part
  18. field — for sport
  19. saw — the tool
  20. track — to keep track
  21. field — farmland
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. track — a path
  24. fork — a garden tool

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