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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.

Make a worksheet

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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. key — for a lock
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bass — low music
  6. key — in music
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. root — of a plant
  10. march — the month
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. key — the most important part
  13. wound — an injury
  14. march — the month
  15. wound — an injury
  16. root — of a word
  17. wake — a trail
  18. file — a tool
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. file — a line of people
  22. march — music
  23. file — a document
  24. bass — the fish

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