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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: snap · key · trunk · rash · saw · fan · cap · squash

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. squash — to crush
  4. key — for a lock
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. snap — to click
  7. key — the most important part
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. squash — the sport
  10. saw — the tool
  11. key — in music
  12. cap — a lid
  13. rash — a series
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. cap — of ice
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. rash — hasty
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. squash — the vegetable

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