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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 water is too ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. capital — money
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. rash — a series
  7. suit — to fit
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. current — happening now
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. suit — clothes
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. current — of water
  19. pound — a weight
  20. suit — in cards
  21. rash — hasty
  22. capital — a city
  23. current — electric
  24. racket — a loud noise

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