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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. drill — army training
  3. capital — money
  4. bear — the animal
  5. drill — a practice
  6. field — for sport
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. net — after costs
  9. mark — a trace
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. net — for catching
  12. drill — the tool
  13. net — in sport
  14. field — a subject
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. field — farmland
  19. rule — a law
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. mark — a grade
  22. rule — government
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. capital — a city

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