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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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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 · hide · fan · deal · season · bulb · last · mate

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. mate — a friend
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. last — final
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. bulb — for light
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. capital — a city
  14. mate — to breed
  15. season — in sport
  16. last — to go on
  17. season — of the year
  18. last — finally
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. capital — money
  23. deal — to handle
  24. mate — a partner

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