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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 a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. key — for a lock
  5. field — for sport
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. field — a subject
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. staff — employees
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. staff — employees
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. ground — crushed
  15. field — farmland
  16. ground — the earth
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. ground — a position
  19. staff — a stick
  20. key — the most important part
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. key — in music
  23. plane — a tool
  24. plane — in geometry

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