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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. march — the month
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. march — music
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. capital — a city
  8. degree — from a university
  9. squash — the sport
  10. present — the time now
  11. degree — an amount
  12. march — the month
  13. chip — for betting
  14. vault — a safe
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. present — a gift
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. squash — to crush
  19. present — there
  20. chip — to eat
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. capital — money
  23. degree — temperature
  24. capital — a big letter

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