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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. hand — in cards
  3. object — an aim
  4. object — to protest
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. capital — money
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. saw — the tool
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — a series
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. hand — help
  13. fine — all right
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. fine — high quality
  16. object — a thing
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. capital — a city
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. pitch — completely
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. saw — the tool

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