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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. capital — money
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. root — of a word
  6. lean — thin
  7. capital — a city
  8. lean — to bend
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — letters
  11. root — the cause
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. spell — magic
  14. chip — for betting
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. wake — a trail
  18. chip — to eat
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. root — of a plant
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. march — music
  24. wake — before a funeral

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