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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. content — happy
  4. kick — in football
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fine — all right
  7. capital — a city
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to click
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. current — of water
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. content — the amount
  21. current — happening now
  22. fine — high quality
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. current — electric

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