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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rock — music
  8. key — in music
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. chest — a box
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. sharp — clever
  14. key — for a lock
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. chest — of your body
  17. rock — a stone
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. rest — what's left
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. key — the most important part
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rest — a break
  24. chest — of your body

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