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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. key — for a lock
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. club — for golf
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. key — the most important part
  12. snap — to click
  13. club — for dancing
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — a grade
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. key — in music
  24. club — a group

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