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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bass — low music
  3. capital — a city
  4. press — newspapers
  5. drill — army training
  6. bass — the fish
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. press — to push
  9. capital — money
  10. face — to point toward
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. drill — a practice
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. press — a publisher
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. march — the month
  17. drill — the tool
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. face — to confront
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — rain
  22. face — part of the head
  23. march — music
  24. march — the month

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