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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. spring — the season
  3. current — electric
  4. foot — a measure
  5. face — to confront
  6. bound — certain
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ball — a dance
  10. spring — a coil
  11. face — to point toward
  12. dip — to sink
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — obliged
  17. current — of water
  18. face — part of the head
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. spring — of water
  21. current — happening now
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. capital — money

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