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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a partner
  3. current — of water
  4. court — of law
  5. current — happening now
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. mate — a friend
  8. fork — in a road
  9. capital — money
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of a king
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. current — electric
  17. kick — in football
  18. capital — a city
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. stand — to bear
  24. wake — a trail

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