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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 116 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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. rest — what's left
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. net — for catching
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. deal — to handle
  8. net — after costs
  9. capital — a city
  10. rest — a break
  11. sharp — clever
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. rest — what's left
  18. net — in sport
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. kid — to tease
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. capital — money
  23. kid — child
  24. deal — an agreement

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