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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.

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: squash · fan · stem · key · ball · sharp · cold · bay

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. sharp — clever
  5. squash — the sport
  6. key — for a lock
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. key — in music
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. squash — to crush
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. ball — a great time
  16. ball — a dance
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cold — not warm
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. key — the most important part
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stem — to come from

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