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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  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. saw — past of 'see'
  2. foot — a measure
  3. wake — a trail
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. saw — the tool
  6. snap — to click
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. capital — money
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. saw — the tool
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. key — the most important part
  16. key — in music
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. capital — a city
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. date — the fruit
  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