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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 120 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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. key — the most important part
  3. shower — rain
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. march — music
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. track — to keep track
  8. march — the month
  9. march — the month
  10. track — a song
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. key — for a lock
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. row — to paddle
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. track — a path
  20. shower — to wash
  21. object — an aim
  22. object — to protest
  23. key — in music
  24. row — a line

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