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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. snap — to click
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. track — a song
  7. bore — to tire
  8. track — a path
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. wound — an injury
  12. key — the most important part
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. key — for a lock
  20. key — in music
  21. bore — to drill
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. track — to keep track
  24. vault — a safe

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