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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. object — a thing
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. spell — magic
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. spell — a short time
  7. capital — a city
  8. field — farmland
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. object — an aim
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. object — to protest
  13. rule — government
  14. field — for sport
  15. rule — a law
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. chair — a leader
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. spell — letters
  21. field — a subject
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. capital — money
  24. stand — to bear

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