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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. key — in music
  4. cap — of ice
  5. charge — in control
  6. mark — a grade
  7. content — the amount
  8. mark — a trace
  9. key — the most important part
  10. cap — a hat
  11. snap — to click
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. charge — electricity
  16. charge — a price
  17. key — for a lock
  18. race — humankind
  19. race — a contest
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. race — the arms race
  23. content — happy
  24. cap — a lid

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