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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. capital — money
  5. stand — to bear
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. toast — bread
  8. degree — an amount
  9. current — electric
  10. capital — a city
  11. degree — temperature
  12. suit — clothes
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. degree — from a university
  16. stock — goods
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. current — of water
  19. stock — shares
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. perch — the fish
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. suit — to fit
  24. suit — in cards

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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