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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. net — in sport
  3. field — for sport
  4. net — after costs
  5. march — the month
  6. current — happening now
  7. current — electric
  8. rock — a stone
  9. field — a subject
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. march — the month
  13. current — of water
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. bulb — for light
  17. net — for catching
  18. field — farmland
  19. rock — music
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. march — music
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bore — to tire

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