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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. mate — a friend
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. object — an aim
  8. ball — a dance
  9. current — happening now
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. object — a thing
  12. bound — certain
  13. mate — to breed
  14. object — to protest
  15. rash — hasty
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. ball — a great time
  18. current — of water
  19. current — electric
  20. bound — tied together
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. mate — a partner
  23. capital — money
  24. bound — obliged

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