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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. rash — a series
  5. wind — moving air
  6. shower — rain
  7. rash — hasty
  8. shower — to wash
  9. current — happening now
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. capital — money
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. current — of water
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. capital — a city
  19. tube — a container
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. current — electric
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. tube — the underground
  24. coach — a trainer

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