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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. last — finally
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. last — to go on
  7. cue — for pool
  8. cue — a hint
  9. craft — boats
  10. stand — to bear
  11. capital — money
  12. board — a committee
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — a city
  15. kid — child
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. cue — a signal
  19. craft — a skill
  20. last — final
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. board — to get on

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