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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. current — happening now
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. capital — money
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. toast — bread
  10. bark — to shout
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. game — wild animals
  13. rash — a series
  14. current — of water
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. rash — hasty
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. stand — to bear
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. game — a match
  23. capital — a city
  24. stand — on your feet

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