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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. capital — a city
  3. vault — a safe
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. dip — to sink
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. club — a group
  10. current — of water
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. capital — money
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. club — for dancing
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. current — electric
  19. club — for golf
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. current — happening now
  24. bay — a horse colour

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