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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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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. pop — to visit
  5. mark — a trace
  6. cold — an illness
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. current — electric
  10. cold — not warm
  11. capital — a city
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. pop — soda
  15. vault — a safe
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. current — of water
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. pop — music
  23. capital — money
  24. current — happening now

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