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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. key — the most important part
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. wind — moving air
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. pound — a weight
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — to breed
  11. key — in music
  12. chest — of your body
  13. key — for a lock
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. wind — moving air
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. chest — of your body
  18. prune — to trim
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. chest — a box
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. prune — to trim

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