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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 120 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  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. mine — an explosive
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. scale — in music
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pitch — completely
  8. present — there
  9. present — a gift
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. key — the most important part
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. fall — the season
  19. key — in music
  20. present — the time now
  21. scale — size or range
  22. mine — for digging
  23. ruler — for measuring
  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