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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 120 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. bat — the animal
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. capital — money
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. capital — a city
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. craft — a skill
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. dip — to sink
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. pit — in a race
  20. craft — boats
  21. pit — a hole
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. capital — a big letter

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