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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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Word bank
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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'll be taking the ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. tube — the underground
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. spring — of water
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. key — the most important part
  9. scale — in music
  10. stand — to bear
  11. key — in music
  12. key — for a lock
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. cue — a hint
  15. spring — a coil
  16. cue — for pool
  17. tube — a container
  18. spring — the season
  19. scale — size or range
  20. cue — a signal
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. scale — for weighing

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