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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. current — of water
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. mine — for digging
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. capital — money
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. capital — a city
  9. pop — to visit
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. key — in music
  12. key — the most important part
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. pop — music
  16. pop — soda
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. current — electric
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. current — happening now
  21. foot — a measure
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. wake — a trail
  24. key — for a lock

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