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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  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. cap — of ice
  2. can — to be able to
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fall — the season
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. key — for a lock
  7. saw — the tool
  8. fall — to drop
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. fall — to drop
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. cap — a lid
  13. can — a tin
  14. wound — an injury
  15. key — in music
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. cap — a hat
  20. can — a tin
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. key — the most important part
  23. wound — an injury
  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