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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: fan · squash · club · lie · trunk · fine · pop · capital

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. pop — music
  3. squash — to crush
  4. pop — soda
  5. capital — money
  6. fine — all right
  7. club — for dancing
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. pop — to visit
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. club — for golf
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. capital — a city
  20. club — a group
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. squash — the sport
  24. lie — to recline

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