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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. current — happening now
  3. capital — a city
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. current — of water
  6. track — a path
  7. track — a song
  8. current — electric
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. tear — to rip
  11. capital — money
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. game — a match
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. track — to keep track
  19. game — wild animals
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. tear — from crying
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. safe — out of danger

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