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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. rash — a series
  3. mug — to rob
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. stem — to come from
  7. mug — a face
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. capital — a city
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rash — hasty
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. last — final
  16. last — to go on
  17. fork — in a road
  18. last — finally
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. mug — a cup
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. capital — money
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. ruler — for measuring

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