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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. object — a thing
  3. object — an aim
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. capital — money
  6. mark — a grade
  7. current — of water
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. drill — the tool
  10. pound — a weight
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. pitch — completely
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. object — to protest
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. current — happening now
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. drill — a practice
  21. current — electric
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. mark — a trace
  24. drill — army training

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