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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  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. suit — to fit
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. can — a tin
  4. key — the most important part
  5. toast — bread
  6. fall — to drop
  7. suit — in cards
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. can — a tin
  10. fall — the season
  11. tear — from crying
  12. key — for a lock
  13. tear — from crying
  14. suit — clothes
  15. can — to be able to
  16. tear — to rip
  17. fall — to drop
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. saw — the tool
  23. fan — to cool the air
  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