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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. capital — money
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. chest — a box
  7. bulb — for light
  8. file — a line of people
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. pop — to visit
  13. bulb — for light
  14. chest — of your body
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. capital — a city
  17. file — a document
  18. saw — the tool
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. file — a tool
  21. pop — soda
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. chest — of your body
  24. pop — music

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