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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cold — an illness
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. key — the most important part
  7. object — an aim
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. scale — size or range
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. mark — a grade
  14. object — a thing
  15. scale — in music
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — in sport
  19. key — in music
  20. mark — a trace
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. key — for a lock
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. object — to protest

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