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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. current — happening now
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. present — the time now
  5. degree — from a university
  6. present — a gift
  7. capital — a city
  8. current — electric
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. band — a music group
  11. degree — temperature
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. board — a committee
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. present — there
  17. capital — money
  18. lie — to recline
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. degree — an amount
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. current — of water
  23. board — to get on
  24. board — a flat piece

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