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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fine — all right
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. date — the fruit
  7. roll — a cake
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. pitch — completely
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. suit — clothes
  16. suit — in cards
  17. capital — money
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. capital — a city
  21. roll — a list
  22. fine — high quality
  23. sharp — clever
  24. date — on the calendar

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