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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
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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: drill · season · last · fan · pit · can · game · capital

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. drill — a practice
  3. capital — a city
  4. game — a match
  5. season — in sport
  6. last — finally
  7. game — wild animals
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. last — final
  10. can — a tin
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. last — to go on
  13. capital — money
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — of the year
  17. drill — the tool
  18. can — to be able to
  19. drill — army training
  20. can — a tin
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. pit — a hole
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. game — a kind of play

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