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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. bass — the fish
  4. capital — a city
  5. pit — in a race
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. shower — rain
  8. object — an aim
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — goods
  11. bass — low music
  12. shower — to wash
  13. object — a thing
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. object — to protest
  19. pit — a hole
  20. capital — money
  21. plane — a tool
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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