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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. last — to go on
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. scale — in music
  5. chest — of your body
  6. scale — size or range
  7. club — for golf
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. club — for dancing
  12. last — final
  13. club — a group
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. last — finally
  17. rush — hurry
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. chest — of your body
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. chest — a box
  24. leaves — lets stay

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