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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. court — of a king
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. current — of water
  5. capital — a city
  6. lie — to recline
  7. court — of law
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a path
  10. bound — certain
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. capital — money
  14. stem — to come from
  15. court — for sport
  16. current — happening now
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. scale — size or range
  20. track — a song
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — tied together
  24. stem — of a plant

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