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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. capital — a city
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cell — in biology
  6. current — happening now
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — the earth
  9. capital — money
  10. rash — hasty
  11. present — a gift
  12. can — a tin
  13. current — electric
  14. can — a tin
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. pitch — completely
  18. present — there
  19. can — to be able to
  20. present — the time now
  21. rash — a series
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. ground — crushed
  24. rash — on the skin

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