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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. capital — money
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. land — a country
  6. capital — a city
  7. present — a gift
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. land — to come down
  10. cap — a hat
  11. present — the time now
  12. perch — the fish
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. cap — of ice
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. land — ground
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. cap — a lid
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. present — there
  24. coach — a trainer

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