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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — soda
  4. chest — of your body
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. suit — to fit
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. key — in music
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. suit — clothes
  11. pop — to visit
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. key — the most important part
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — a series
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — a box
  21. key — for a lock
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. suit — in cards
  24. wax — to grow

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