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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 116 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. fall — to drop
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. chip — to eat
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. mine — for digging
  10. current — electric
  11. current — of water
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. march — music
  14. chip — for betting
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. capital — a city
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. capital — money
  19. fall — the season
  20. current — happening now
  21. march — the month
  22. deal — to handle
  23. march — the month
  24. fall — to drop

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