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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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468
Word bank
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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. tube — the underground
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. tube — a container
  10. game — wild animals
  11. capital — money
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. kick — in football
  16. wound — an injury
  17. stand — to bear
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. capital — a city
  22. wound — an injury
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. game — a match

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