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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 a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. current — happening now
  3. ball — a dance
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bark — to shout
  7. club — for dancing
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. key — the most important part
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — for digging
  13. club — for golf
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. sharp — clever
  16. key — for a lock
  17. current — of water
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. club — a group
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. current — electric
  22. key — in music
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. ball — a great time

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