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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.

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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 · stick · pound · safe · shower · capital · pit · field

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. pit — in a race
  6. shower — rain
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. pound — a weight
  9. capital — a city
  10. field — a subject
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. shower — to wash
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. field — for sport
  17. capital — money
  18. pit — a hole
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. field — farmland
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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