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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 120 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. mate — a friend
  3. capital — money
  4. track — a path
  5. sharp — clever
  6. current — of water
  7. bear — the animal
  8. mate — a partner
  9. pitch — completely
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. current — electric
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. current — happening now
  16. mate — to breed
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. track — a song
  19. track — to keep track
  20. capital — a city
  21. bear — the animal
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. plane — a tool
  24. sharp — with an edge

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