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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  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. capital — a big letter
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. current — happening now
  4. firm — steady
  5. degree — an amount
  6. scale — in music
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. capital — a city
  10. degree — temperature
  11. current — of water
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. firm — a company
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a match
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. current — electric
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. degree — from a university
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. firm — decided
  24. capital — money

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