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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 124 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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. roll — a cake
  3. capital — a city
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. fork — in a road
  6. capital — money
  7. object — to protest
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. current — of water
  10. perch — the fish
  11. current — happening now
  12. object — a thing
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. object — an aim
  20. current — electric
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. roll — a list

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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