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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. date — the fruit
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. game — wild animals
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. wound — an injury
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. capital — money
  23. game — a match
  24. capital — a city

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