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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 120 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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. shower — to wash
  3. rest — what's left
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. rest — what's left
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. last — finally
  11. scale — in music
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. last — final
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rest — a break
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bulb — for light
  19. shower — rain
  20. last — to go on
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. bulb — for light
  23. scale — size or range
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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