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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: capital · land · fan · pass · can · rash · board · fine

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. fine — all right
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. can — a tin
  7. land — to come down
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. rash — a series
  12. land — ground
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. pass — a permit
  16. board — a committee
  17. fine — high quality
  18. board — to get on
  19. can — a tin
  20. capital — money
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. can — to be able to
  24. capital — a city

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