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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. club — for dancing
  3. current — happening now
  4. current — of water
  5. present — there
  6. club — for golf
  7. ball — a dance
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. club — a group
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rule — government
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. present — a gift
  14. wake — a trail
  15. capital — money
  16. ball — a great time
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. pitch — completely
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. rule — a law
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. present — the time now
  24. ball — a round shape

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