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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pound — a weight
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. key — the most important part
  8. kid — to tease
  9. capital — money
  10. mate — a friend
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. key — in music
  13. mate — a partner
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. mate — to breed
  18. rush — hurry
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. key — for a lock
  22. capital — a city
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. kid — child

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