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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. present — the time now
  4. capital — money
  5. spring — the season
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bound — tied together
  9. present — there
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — certain
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. present — a gift
  14. board — a committee
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. spring — of water
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. capital — a city
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. spring — a coil
  23. board — to get on
  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