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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. fine — high quality
  4. rush — hurry
  5. mark — a grade
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. capital — a city
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. pass — a permit
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. capital — money
  19. mark — a trace
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. fine — all right
  22. bat — the animal
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. pitcher — a jug

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