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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 a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bass — the fish
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. key — for a lock
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. staff — a stick
  12. tear — from crying
  13. key — in music
  14. bass — low music
  15. tear — from crying
  16. snap — to click
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. key — the most important part
  20. tear — to rip
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — employees
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. ruler — a monarch

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