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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. land — a country
  3. court — of law
  4. capital — money
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. current — of water
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bank — of a river
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — a city
  11. land — to come down
  12. bank — for money
  13. land — ground
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. court — of a king
  16. craft — boats
  17. current — happening now
  18. court — for sport
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. craft — a skill
  21. current — electric
  22. snap — to click
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. bank — for money

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