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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. swing — music
  3. shower — to wash
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. suit — in cards
  8. kid — to tease
  9. suit — to fit
  10. stand — to bear
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. kid — child
  13. shower — rain
  14. current — of water
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. capital — money
  17. suit — clothes
  18. bulb — for light
  19. swing — in golf
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — electric
  23. swing — to play on
  24. bulb — for light

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