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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. scale — in music
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. wind — moving air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. capital — money
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. wind — moving air
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. sharp — clever
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. scale — size or range
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. capital — a city
  22. foot — a measure
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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