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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. key — the most important part
  5. row — a line
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. dip — to sink
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — after costs
  12. net — in sport
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. mine — for digging
  15. rule — a law
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. row — to paddle
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. rule — government
  22. key — in music
  23. key — for a lock
  24. rule — to rule out

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