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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 120 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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. spring — of water
  3. club — for dancing
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. spring — the season
  6. kick — in football
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bass — low music
  9. tube — the underground
  10. current — happening now
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. current — electric
  13. current — of water
  14. capital — money
  15. club — for golf
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. bass — the fish
  18. spring — a coil
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. club — a group
  21. deal — to handle
  22. tube — a container
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. capital — a city

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