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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. board — to get on
  4. capital — money
  5. board — a committee
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. current — of water
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. track — a path
  10. net — after costs
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. track — to keep track
  13. net — in sport
  14. capital — a city
  15. rash — a series
  16. current — electric
  17. current — happening now
  18. rash — hasty
  19. squash — to crush
  20. track — a song
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. net — for catching

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