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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. key — for a lock
  4. wind — moving air
  5. content — happy
  6. last — to go on
  7. last — final
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rest — what's left
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. rest — a break
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. key — in music
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. key — the most important part
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. plane — a tool
  21. last — finally
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. rest — what's left
  24. content — the amount

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