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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. stem — to come from
  5. last — to go on
  6. key — in music
  7. land — a country
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — the fish
  11. rush — hurry
  12. last — final
  13. key — the most important part
  14. bass — low music
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. land — ground
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. key — for a lock
  20. last — finally
  21. pit — a hole
  22. land — to come down
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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