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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. fall — the season
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. capital — money
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. degree — from a university
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. bulb — for light
  12. capital — a city
  13. game — wild animals
  14. degree — an amount
  15. fall — to drop
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. degree — temperature
  20. fall — to drop
  21. game — a match
  22. bulb — for light
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. cabinet — ministers

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