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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. last — final
  3. pop — to visit
  4. ground — crushed
  5. current — electric
  6. bank — of a river
  7. roll — a cake
  8. ground — the earth
  9. bank — for money
  10. last — to go on
  11. capital — money
  12. last — finally
  13. capital — a city
  14. bank — for money
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. pop — soda
  18. pop — music
  19. current — happening now
  20. kick — in football
  21. current — of water
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. ground — a position
  24. roll — on a roll

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