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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mug — to rob
  3. bat — the animal
  4. key — the most important part
  5. degree — temperature
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. roll — a list
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. key — for a lock
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. mug — a face
  12. degree — an amount
  13. mug — a cup
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. last — final
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. roll — a cake
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. last — finally
  20. last — to go on
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. degree — from a university
  24. key — in music

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