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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. roll — a list
  8. key — for a lock
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. scale — in music
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. key — in music
  13. dip — to sink
  14. mug — a cup
  15. scale — size or range
  16. land — a country
  17. roll — a cake
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — ground
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. key — the most important part
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. mug — to rob

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