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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: fall · fan · rash · sharp · capital · hide · ball · toast

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a city
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. ball — a great time
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. ball — a dance
  13. toast — bread
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. fall — the season
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — clever
  21. rash — a series
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. fall — to drop

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