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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. track — to keep track
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. cell — in biology
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. capital — a city
  7. sharp — clever
  8. current — happening now
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. current — of water
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mate — a partner
  13. bore — to tire
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. track — a song
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. track — a path
  19. mate — a friend
  20. bore — to drill
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. cell — a phone
  23. capital — money
  24. current — electric

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