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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. saw — the tool
  3. lean — thin
  4. bore — to tire
  5. object — a thing
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. capital — money
  8. bore — to drill
  9. net — after costs
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — for catching
  14. object — to protest
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. capital — a city
  19. object — an aim
  20. fork — in a road
  21. lean — to bend
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. saw — the tool

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