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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 116 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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rock — music
  4. game — a match
  5. capital — money
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. current — electric
  10. capital — a city
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — to push
  13. press — a publisher
  14. kid — to tease
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. kid — child
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. current — of water
  21. current — happening now
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. game — wild animals

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