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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lean — thin
  10. toast — bread
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. spring — the season
  13. dip — to sink
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. spring — of water
  18. board — to get on
  19. board — a committee
  20. capital — a city
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. spring — a coil
  24. lean — to rest against

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