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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. current — electric
  3. game — a match
  4. capital — a city
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bulb — for light
  9. current — of water
  10. present — a gift
  11. rock — music
  12. present — the time now
  13. bulb — for light
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. present — there
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bound — certain
  18. current — happening now
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. bound — tied together
  23. capital — money
  24. rock — a stone

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