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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. current — electric
  6. rock — a stone
  7. fork — in a road
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. lie — to recline
  11. rock — music
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. capital — money
  16. current — happening now
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. capital — a city
  19. game — a match
  20. ball — a great time
  21. current — of water
  22. ball — a dance
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. lie — an untruth

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