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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. firm — steady
  3. cold — an illness
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. content — happy
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. capital — a city
  10. firm — a company
  11. capital — money
  12. current — happening now
  13. snap — to click
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. current — electric
  16. content — the amount
  17. cold — not warm
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. current — of water
  21. firm — decided
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. fan — to cool the air

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