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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. cold — an illness
  3. ground — the earth
  4. cold — not warm
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — for a lock
  7. stand — to bear
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. ground — crushed
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. hand — help
  15. craft — a skill
  16. ground — a position
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. hand — in cards
  19. key — in music
  20. rush — hurry
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. craft — boats
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. fan — a supporter

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