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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 116 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. game — wild animals
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. bulb — for light
  5. current — happening now
  6. mate — to breed
  7. can — a tin
  8. capital — money
  9. mate — a partner
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. net — in sport
  12. current — of water
  13. march — the month
  14. mate — a friend
  15. march — the month
  16. bulb — for light
  17. march — music
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — for catching
  20. current — electric
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. can — a tin
  23. game — a match
  24. capital — a city

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