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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. track — to keep track
  3. deal — to handle
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. capital — a city
  6. key — for a lock
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. track — a path
  9. fine — all right
  10. key — in music
  11. face — to point toward
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. face — to confront
  15. key — the most important part
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. face — part of the head
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. capital — money
  20. track — a song
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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