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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. can — to be able to
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. capital — a city
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. wax — to grow
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. mine — for digging
  13. fork — in a road
  14. dip — to sink
  15. can — a tin
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. capital — money
  23. can — a tin
  24. capital — a big letter

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