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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. object — to protest
  3. ball — a dance
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. mate — a partner
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. mate — a friend
  8. current — of water
  9. object — a thing
  10. current — electric
  11. object — an aim
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — to wash
  15. chair — a leader
  16. capital — a city
  17. current — happening now
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. shower — rain
  20. mate — to breed
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. ball — a great 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