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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 116 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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. object — to protest
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. hand — help
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. key — for a lock
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. object — an aim
  14. key — in music
  15. fall — to drop
  16. face — to point toward
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. key — the most important part
  19. object — a thing
  20. rash — hasty
  21. face — part of the head
  22. face — to confront
  23. hand — in cards
  24. coach — a trainer

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