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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. last — final
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. shower — to wash
  5. last — finally
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. key — for a lock
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. key — the most important part
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. mate — to breed
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. mate — a partner
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. last — to go on
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — low music
  23. shower — rain
  24. mate — a friend

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