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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. bass — the fish
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. degree — temperature
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. capital — a city
  10. degree — from a university
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. drill — the tool
  13. degree — an amount
  14. drill — army training
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. capital — money
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bass — low music
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. mine — for digging
  24. calf — a young animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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