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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 116 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: squash · sharp · fan · saw · racket · bulb · fall · capital

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. bulb — for light
  6. capital — a city
  7. saw — the tool
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. squash — to crush
  11. bulb — for light
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. saw — the tool
  14. fall — to drop
  15. capital — money
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fall — the season
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. sharp — clever
  24. squash — the sport

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