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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. current — electric
  4. perch — the fish
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. current — of water
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mark — a grade
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. rush — hurry
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. mark — a trace
  17. current — happening now
  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