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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. fine — all right
  4. chip — to eat
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bear — the animal
  8. sharp — clever
  9. fine — high quality
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. current — electric
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. current — of water
  15. current — happening now
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. chip — for betting
  18. capital — money
  19. bear — the animal
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. capital — a city

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