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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fine — all right
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rock — a stone
  6. key — in music
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — high quality
  10. band — a music group
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. rock — music
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. face — to confront
  15. band — a ring
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. face — part of the head
  18. key — the most important part
  19. face — to point toward
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. key — for a lock
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. pitch — completely

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