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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. rest — a break
  6. degree — an amount
  7. craft — a skill
  8. key — for a lock
  9. fall — the season
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. degree — from a university
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. roll — a cake
  15. rest — what's left
  16. degree — temperature
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. fall — to drop
  19. roll — a list
  20. rest — what's left
  21. craft — boats
  22. fall — to drop
  23. key — the most important part
  24. key — in music

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