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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. mate — a partner
  4. shower — rain
  5. key — for a lock
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. mate — a friend
  8. race — the arms race
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. pop — to visit
  11. pop — soda
  12. shower — to wash
  13. pop — music
  14. race — a contest
  15. race — humankind
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. key — in music
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — completely
  20. mate — to breed
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. key — the most important part

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