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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 124 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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. last — finally
  4. cap — a lid
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. capital — a city
  9. last — to go on
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. last — final
  14. cap — a hat
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. capital — money
  18. cap — of ice
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. game — a match
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. game — wild animals
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. fan — a supporter

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