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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 124 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 second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. current — happening now
  3. squash — to crush
  4. current — of water
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. rule — government
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. rule — a law
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. capital — a city
  12. fall — to drop
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. pass — a permit
  15. squash — the sport
  16. game — wild animals
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. game — a match
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. current — electric
  24. fall — the season

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