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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. game — wild animals
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. capital — money
  5. dip — to sink
  6. rest — what's left
  7. root — the cause
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. root — of a word
  10. capital — a city
  11. rest — a break
  12. club — a group
  13. club — for dancing
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. track — to keep track
  16. game — a match
  17. track — a path
  18. track — a song
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. club — for golf
  21. rest — what's left
  22. root — of a plant
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. game — a kind of play

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