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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Word bank
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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. march — the month
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. saw — the tool
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a document
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. rush — hurry
  14. march — music
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. file — a tool
  20. key — in music
  21. key — for a lock
  22. key — the most important part
  23. march — the month
  24. saw — the tool

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