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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. key — for a lock
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. cue — a signal
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. lean — to bend
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. cue — a hint
  15. sharp — clever
  16. mark — a trace
  17. perch — the fish
  18. cue — for pool
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. key — the most important part
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. key — in music
  24. lean — thin

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