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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 120 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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. key — the most important part
  4. suit — clothes
  5. land — to come down
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — rain
  8. key — for a lock
  9. face — part of the head
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. land — ground
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. face — to confront
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. face — to point toward
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. suit — to fit
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — moving air
  22. key — in music
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. land — a country

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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