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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. current — happening now
  3. field — for sport
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. current — electric
  6. field — a subject
  7. sharp — clever
  8. pass — a permit
  9. capital — a city
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. chest — a box
  13. chest — of your body
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. field — farmland
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. current — of water
  21. chest — of your body
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. capital — money

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