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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. current — electric
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — hasty
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. spring — the season
  14. rash — a series
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. spring — a coil
  17. key — in music
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. key — the most important part
  20. spring — of water
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. current — happening now
  23. current — of water
  24. key — for a lock

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