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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. bat — the animal
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. capital — money
  8. firm — decided
  9. firm — a company
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. firm — steady
  12. game — a match
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rest — what's left
  16. capital — a city
  17. current — electric
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. current — happening now
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. current — of water
  24. rock — music

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