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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: saw · snap · fine · squash · rash · swing · capital · fan

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a city
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. squash — to crush
  9. swing — in golf
  10. rash — a series
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. fine — all right
  13. snap — to click
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. squash — the sport
  16. rash — hasty
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. swing — music
  20. fine — high quality
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. swing — to play on
  23. capital — a big letter
  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