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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. deal — to handle
  3. ball — a great time
  4. ball — a dance
  5. degree — from a university
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. march — the month
  9. march — the month
  10. march — music
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. mug — a cup
  13. degree — temperature
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pass — a permit
  17. capital — a city
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. mug — to rob
  21. capital — money
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. mug — a face
  24. degree — an amount

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