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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. spell — letters
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. current — happening now
  7. current — of water
  8. cue — a signal
  9. fine — high quality
  10. band — a ring
  11. spell — magic
  12. cue — a hint
  13. band — a music group
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. current — electric
  16. board — to get on
  17. capital — a city
  18. cue — for pool
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. fine — all right
  21. board — a committee
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. capital — money
  24. spell — a short time

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