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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. capital — money
  4. court — of a king
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. track — a song
  7. cold — not warm
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. cue — a hint
  10. court — for sport
  11. current — of water
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. cue — a signal
  14. capital — a city
  15. current — happening now
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cold — an illness
  18. fork — in a road
  19. track — a path
  20. court — of law
  21. wake — a trail
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. track — to keep track
  24. capital — a big letter

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