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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. snap — to click
  3. craft — boats
  4. object — a thing
  5. key — in music
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. swing — to play on
  9. swing — in golf
  10. key — the most important part
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. swing — music
  13. key — for a lock
  14. craft — a skill
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. land — ground
  17. land — to come down
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pitch — completely
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. land — a country
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. object — an aim

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