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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. current — electric
  5. current — happening now
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. capital — a city
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. pound — a weight
  13. land — a country
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. capital — money
  18. land — to come down
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. current — of water
  23. land — ground
  24. mark — a grade

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