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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 120 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. current — happening now
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. current — electric
  8. game — wild animals
  9. wax — to grow
  10. craft — boats
  11. craft — a skill
  12. march — the month
  13. capital — a city
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. current — of water
  21. capital — money
  22. pitch — completely
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. game — a match

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