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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. can — to be able to
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. capital — money
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. current — happening now
  10. capital — a city
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. current — electric
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. field — a subject
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. game — wild animals
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. field — farmland
  20. can — a tin
  21. wake — a trail
  22. current — of water
  23. can — a tin
  24. field — for sport

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