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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 116 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. capital — money
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. march — the month
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stock — shares
  10. rest — a break
  11. pound — a weight
  12. stock — goods
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. march — the month
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rest — what's left
  20. march — music
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. capital — a city
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. pound — to hit hard

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