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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. capital — a city
  4. mug — to rob
  5. bear — the animal
  6. mug — a cup
  7. bear — the animal
  8. toast — bread
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fork — in a road
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. hand — in cards
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. mug — a face
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. hand — help
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. capital — money
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. hand — part of the body

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