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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. stand — to bear
  5. hand — in cards
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. key — the most important part
  11. march — the month
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. march — music
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. key — for a lock
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. key — in music
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — help
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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