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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rush — hurry
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. capital — a city
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. chip — for betting
  8. branch — a division
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. dip — to sink
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. capital — money
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. chip — to eat
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. sharp — clever
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. coach — a trainer

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