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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. key — for a lock
  8. present — a gift
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. key — the most important part
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. key — in music
  13. mine — for digging
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cell — in biology
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. present — there
  20. fork — in a road
  21. cell — a phone
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. mine — an explosive

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