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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. current — electric
  3. can — a tin
  4. bear — the animal
  5. rest — what's left
  6. current — of water
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. row — to paddle
  10. board — to get on
  11. capital — money
  12. bear — the animal
  13. swing — in golf
  14. board — a committee
  15. row — a line
  16. rest — a break
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. can — a tin
  20. current — happening now
  21. swing — music
  22. swing — to play on
  23. capital — a city
  24. can — to be able to

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