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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. stem — to come from
  3. land — ground
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. pop — to visit
  11. key — the most important part
  12. land — a country
  13. charge — in control
  14. pop — soda
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. pop — music
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. key — in music
  21. land — to come down
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. charge — a price
  24. charge — electricity

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