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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. pop — to visit
  4. tear — from crying
  5. hand — help
  6. current — happening now
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. tear — to rip
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. capital — money
  18. tear — from crying
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. capital — a city
  21. pop — soda
  22. current — electric
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. pop — music

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