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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. fall — to drop
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. dip — to sink
  5. tear — from crying
  6. ball — a great time
  7. chip — to eat
  8. root — of a word
  9. root — the cause
  10. tear — from crying
  11. ball — a dance
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. capital — a city
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. current — happening now
  16. fall — to drop
  17. capital — money
  18. root — of a plant
  19. chip — for betting
  20. current — of water
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. tear — to rip
  24. fall — the season

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