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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. cell — a phone
  3. capital — money
  4. object — an aim
  5. last — to go on
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. capital — a city
  8. current — of water
  9. object — to protest
  10. current — happening now
  11. rock — a stone
  12. mark — a grade
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. mark — a trace
  15. scale — in music
  16. current — electric
  17. last — finally
  18. scale — size or range
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. last — final
  22. rock — music
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. cell — in biology

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