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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 116 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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. capital — money
  5. fine — high quality
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. spring — the season
  9. sharp — clever
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. chair — a leader
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. current — electric
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. fine — all right
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. current — of water
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. current — happening now
  20. spring — of water
  21. capital — a city
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. spring — a coil
  24. mouse — the animal

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