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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. march — the month
  3. key — for a lock
  4. spell — a short time
  5. can — a tin
  6. club — for golf
  7. club — for dancing
  8. key — in music
  9. degree — from a university
  10. press — a publisher
  11. press — newspapers
  12. spell — letters
  13. key — the most important part
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. press — to push
  16. spell — magic
  17. degree — temperature
  18. march — music
  19. degree — an amount
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. march — the month
  22. club — a group
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — to be able to

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