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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 116 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. key — the most important part
  4. net — for catching
  5. face — to point toward
  6. wound — an injury
  7. craft — a skill
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. object — a thing
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. face — part of the head
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. net — after costs
  16. craft — boats
  17. net — in sport
  18. object — to protest
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. face — to confront
  21. object — an aim
  22. key — in music
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. craft — a handicraft

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