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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. saw — the tool
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. present — a gift
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. key — for a lock
  10. scale — in music
  11. scale — size or range
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. present — the time now
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. key — the most important part
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. band — a ring
  19. key — in music
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. dip — to sink
  22. present — there
  23. saw — the tool
  24. band — a music group

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