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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. scale — size or range
  4. stem — to come from
  5. key — in music
  6. rest — what's left
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. key — the most important part
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. court — for sport
  11. rest — a break
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. court — of law
  14. rush — hurry
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — rain
  17. key — for a lock
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. court — of a king
  20. scale — in music
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. stem — of a plant

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