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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. land — to come down
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. land — ground
  5. rock — a stone
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. capital — money
  8. file — a line of people
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. land — a country
  11. firm — steady
  12. file — a document
  13. bank — for money
  14. firm — a company
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bank — of a river
  17. pop — soda
  18. file — a tool
  19. pop — to visit
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. rock — music
  22. pop — music
  23. bank — for money
  24. firm — decided

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