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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. bark — to shout
  3. swing — in golf
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. stand — to bear
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. key — in music
  8. swing — music
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. hand — help
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. perch — the fish
  17. key — for a lock
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. swing — to play on
  22. mine — for digging
  23. hand — in cards
  24. stand — for spectators

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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