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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 120 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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. current — of water
  3. current — happening now
  4. current — electric
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. fine — high quality
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. last — final
  10. bound — tied together
  11. capital — a city
  12. mark — a grade
  13. game — a match
  14. fine — all right
  15. last — finally
  16. last — to go on
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pit — a hole
  19. bound — obliged
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — wild animals
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. capital — money
  24. bound — certain

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