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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. land — a country
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. capital — a city
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — tied together
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. land — ground
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. land — to come down
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. kick — in football
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. bound — obliged
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. plane — a tool
  23. snap — to click
  24. capital — money

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