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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. hand — help
  3. capital — money
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. toast — bread
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. game — wild animals
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. bear — the animal
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. hand — in cards
  15. game — a match
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. pass — a permit
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. stand — to bear
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. fan — a supporter

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