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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 120 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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — a tin
  5. file — a line of people
  6. suit — in cards
  7. last — final
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. file — a document
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. suit — clothes
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. suit — to fit
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. capital — a city
  17. last — to go on
  18. file — a tool
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. last — finally
  21. capital — money
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. can — to be able to
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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