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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. chest — of your body
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. chest — of your body
  8. degree — from a university
  9. chest — a box
  10. degree — an amount
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. degree — temperature
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. charge — in control
  15. charge — a price
  16. capital — money
  17. charge — electricity
  18. capital — a city
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. pass — a permit

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