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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. key — the most important part
  3. file — a tool
  4. file — a document
  5. mine — for digging
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — help
  9. key — in music
  10. bass — low music
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. object — a thing
  16. craft — boats
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. file — a line of people
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. object — an aim
  22. object — to protest
  23. craft — a skill
  24. key — for a lock

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