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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. court — for sport
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. court — of a king
  5. board — to get on
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. bound — obliged
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. saw — the tool
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. squash — to crush
  12. capital — a city
  13. bound — tied together
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. current — of water
  17. court — of law
  18. saw — the tool
  19. current — happening now
  20. bound — certain
  21. capital — money
  22. squash — the sport
  23. board — a committee
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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