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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. fall — to drop
  3. tear — from crying
  4. pop — music
  5. rash — a series
  6. fall — to drop
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. key — the most important part
  11. pop — to visit
  12. tear — to rip
  13. perch — the fish
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. pop — soda
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. fall — the season
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. rash — hasty
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. key — in music
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. coach — a trainer

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