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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. scale — size or range
  4. key — for a lock
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. cold — an illness
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. scale — in music
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bulb — for light
  19. key — in music
  20. cold — not warm
  21. key — the most important part
  22. bark — to shout
  23. snap — to click
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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