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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. band — a music group
  9. charge — in control
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. pit — in a race
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. capital — money
  14. charge — electricity
  15. fork — in a road
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. capital — a city
  19. band — a ring
  20. pit — a hole
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. charge — a price
  24. mine — belonging to me

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