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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. capital — a city
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. degree — from a university
  8. mark — a trace
  9. prune — to trim
  10. tube — a container
  11. rush — hurry
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. mark — a grade
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. degree — temperature
  21. capital — money
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. degree — an amount
  24. fan — to cool the air

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