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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a city
  4. suit — to fit
  5. hand — help
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. suit — clothes
  8. hand — in cards
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bear — the animal
  13. cap — a hat
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. cap — a lid
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — in sport
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. bear — the animal
  22. cap — of ice
  23. net — after costs
  24. suit — in cards

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