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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. band — a music group
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. shower — to wash
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — in music
  8. spell — a short time
  9. craft — a skill
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — after costs
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. band — a ring
  14. spell — magic
  15. net — for catching
  16. spell — letters
  17. face — part of the head
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. face — to point toward
  21. craft — boats
  22. shower — rain
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. face — to confront

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