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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. pop — music
  3. current — of water
  4. foot — a measure
  5. last — finally
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. rash — a series
  9. last — final
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. capital — money
  12. degree — temperature
  13. last — to go on
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. current — electric
  16. capital — a city
  17. rash — hasty
  18. pop — soda
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. current — happening now
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. degree — from a university
  23. degree — an amount
  24. pop — to visit

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