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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. field — for sport
  3. current — happening now
  4. can — to be able to
  5. can — a tin
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. board — a committee
  9. field — farmland
  10. plane — a tool
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. capital — money
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. last — finally
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. last — final
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. capital — a city
  19. board — to get on
  20. can — a tin
  21. last — to go on
  22. current — electric
  23. field — a subject
  24. plane — in geometry

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