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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. object — to protest
  6. snap — to click
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. object — a thing
  9. drill — a practice
  10. capital — money
  11. cue — for pool
  12. drill — the tool
  13. cue — a hint
  14. object — an aim
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. drill — army training
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. capital — a city
  20. bear — the animal
  21. cue — a signal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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