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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. rash — a series
  4. shower — rain
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — a group
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. sharp — clever
  9. track — a song
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. track — to keep track
  13. shower — to wash
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. dip — to sink
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — for a lock
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — hasty
  22. club — for dancing
  23. track — a path
  24. key — in music

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