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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. game — a match
  6. capital — money
  7. mark — a grade
  8. mug — to rob
  9. game — wild animals
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. bore — to drill
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. rock — a stone
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bore — to tire
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mug — a face
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. capital — a city
  21. mug — a cup
  22. deal — to handle
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. rock — to move gently

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