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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. fall — the season
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. capital — a city
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — for catching
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. current — of water
  11. fall — to drop
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. net — in sport
  14. chair — a leader
  15. current — happening now
  16. current — electric
  17. bass — the fish
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bass — low music
  21. vault — a safe
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. fall — to drop
  24. perch — the fish

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