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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. field — a subject
  3. capital — money
  4. field — for sport
  5. can — to be able to
  6. saw — the tool
  7. kick — in football
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. band — a music group
  11. field — farmland
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. saw — the tool
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — a stick
  17. capital — a city
  18. can — a tin
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. band — a ring
  23. staff — employees
  24. kick — with a leg

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