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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. drill — the tool
  4. rash — hasty
  5. drill — army training
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — a subject
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. drill — a practice
  11. current — of water
  12. current — electric
  13. rash — a series
  14. cue — a signal
  15. season — of the year
  16. cue — a hint
  17. current — happening now
  18. ball — a dance
  19. season — in sport
  20. cue — for pool
  21. ball — a great time
  22. capital — a city
  23. field — for sport
  24. rash — on the skin

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