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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. lean — to bend
  5. current — electric
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. lean — thin
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. current — of water
  12. capital — a city
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. ball — a great time
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. ball — a dance
  20. current — happening now
  21. capital — money
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. wave — of the sea

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