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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. season — in sport
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. season — of the year
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. file — a line of people
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a tool
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. capital — a city
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. capital — money
  24. temple — a place of worship

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