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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: fan · snap · object · drill · rock · capital · pop · bowl

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. drill — a practice
  3. pop — to visit
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to click
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. pop — soda
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. object — to protest
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. rock — a stone
  14. object — a thing
  15. capital — money
  16. rock — music
  17. drill — the tool
  18. object — an aim
  19. drill — army training
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. pop — music

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