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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. drill — the tool
  4. pitch — completely
  5. season — in sport
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. key — for a lock
  12. rash — a series
  13. key — the most important part
  14. drill — army training
  15. rash — hasty
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. last — finally
  18. last — to go on
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. last — final
  21. key — in music
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. season — of the year

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