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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. file — a tool
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. board — a committee
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wake — a trail
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. drill — a practice
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — money
  13. file — a document
  14. capital — a city
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. sharp — clever
  17. drill — the tool
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. drill — army training
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. file — a line of people
  24. board — to get on

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