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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. current — happening now
  5. firm — steady
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. firm — decided
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. land — ground
  10. capital — money
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — a grade
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. capital — a city
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chip — for betting
  18. firm — a company
  19. current — of water
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. land — a country
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. current — electric
  24. capital — a big letter

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