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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. current — electric
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. swing — music
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — in cards
  9. fine — high quality
  10. rash — a series
  11. current — of water
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — a friend
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. bear — the animal
  16. swing — to play on
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a city
  19. current — happening now
  20. mate — to breed
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. swing — in golf
  23. bear — the animal
  24. fine — all right

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