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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. capital — money
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. present — there
  6. face — to confront
  7. face — to point toward
  8. drill — the tool
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. squash — the sport
  11. drill — army training
  12. squash — to crush
  13. present — a gift
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. present — the time now
  19. face — part of the head
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. capital — a city
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. drill — a practice
  24. hide — to keep secret

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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