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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Word bank
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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — for sport
  5. capital — money
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bass — the fish
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. capital — a city
  15. fine — all right
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fine — high quality
  18. perch — the fish
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. field — a subject
  24. bass — low music

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