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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. date — the fruit
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. capital — a city
  12. drill — army training
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. drill — the tool
  16. capital — money
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. date — on the calendar

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