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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 116 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: land · game · content · cabinet · fan · mark · capital · perch

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. content — the amount
  3. capital — a city
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. land — a country
  7. land — to come down
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. game — wild animals
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. capital — money
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. content — happy
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. mark — a grade
  18. game — a match
  19. land — ground
  20. mark — a trace
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. perch — the fish
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. fan — a supporter

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