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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stock — shares
  10. land — ground
  11. land — a country
  12. suit — in cards
  13. stock — goods
  14. capital — a city
  15. suit — to fit
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. capital — money
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rush — hurry
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. suit — clothes
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cold — an illness
  24. land — to come down

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