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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. roll — a list
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. current — electric
  7. game — wild animals
  8. present — a gift
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. present — the time now
  12. wind — moving air
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — a division
  16. game — a match
  17. present — there
  18. wind — moving air
  19. capital — a city
  20. roll — a cake
  21. current — happening now
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. current — of water
  24. nail — for a hammer

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