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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. key — for a lock
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. spell — magic
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. net — after costs
  8. tear — to rip
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. net — in sport
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. spell — a short time
  14. tear — from crying
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. key — in music
  17. spell — letters
  18. key — the most important part
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — to tease
  21. net — for catching
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. tear — from crying
  24. mouse — the animal

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