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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. firm — decided
  3. firm — a company
  4. current — happening now
  5. pop — to visit
  6. club — for golf
  7. capital — a city
  8. firm — steady
  9. club — for dancing
  10. hand — in cards
  11. capital — money
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — help
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. club — a group
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — a position
  19. pop — music
  20. current — electric
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pop — soda
  24. ground — the earth

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