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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. snap — to click
  4. firm — a company
  5. field — a subject
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. cap — of ice
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. cap — a hat
  10. field — farmland
  11. capital — a city
  12. pit — in a race
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. firm — steady
  15. field — for sport
  16. cap — a lid
  17. bear — the animal
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. firm — decided
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. capital — money
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bear — the animal
  24. pit — a hole

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