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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. spring — of water
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. deal — to handle
  6. current — electric
  7. object — to protest
  8. object — an aim
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. spring — the season
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. spring — a coil
  15. current — of water
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. object — a thing
  21. season — in sport
  22. current — happening now
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. capital — a city

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