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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. court — of a king
  3. saw — the tool
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. mark — a trace
  6. track — to keep track
  7. current — of water
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. track — a path
  13. track — a song
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. mark — a grade
  16. court — of law
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — money
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. court — for sport
  21. current — happening now
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. plane — a tool

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