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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. squash — the sport
  3. key — in music
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. fall — to drop
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. hand — in cards
  11. fall — to drop
  12. spell — letters
  13. fall — the season
  14. key — for a lock
  15. kick — in football
  16. hand — help
  17. squash — to crush
  18. saw — the tool
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. spell — a short time
  23. key — the most important part
  24. spell — magic

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