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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. ball — a dance
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. current — of water
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. saw — the tool
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. current — happening now
  15. current — electric
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a city

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