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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.

Make a worksheet

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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. tear — from crying
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. club — a group
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. object — an aim
  7. can — a tin
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. capital — money
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. tear — from crying
  14. club — for dancing
  15. club — for golf
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. capital — a city
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. can — a tin
  20. object — to protest
  21. tear — to rip
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. can — to be able to
  24. object — a thing

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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