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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. capital — a city
  3. current — electric
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. capital — money
  6. tear — from crying
  7. plane — a tool
  8. club — for golf
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. ball — a great time
  11. current — happening now
  12. track — a path
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. ball — a dance
  15. tear — from crying
  16. club — for dancing
  17. fork — in a road
  18. club — a group
  19. track — a song
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. track — to keep track
  23. tear — to rip
  24. plane — an aircraft

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