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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. capital — a city
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. capital — money
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. shower — rain
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. track — a path
  12. march — the month
  13. shower — to wash
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. track — a song
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. march — music
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. march — the month
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. leaves — of a tree

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