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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. current — electric
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. pit — in a race
  7. current — of water
  8. bound — obliged
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. sharp — clever
  11. bound — tied together
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. current — happening now
  14. bound — certain
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — money
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. pit — a hole
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. march — music
  24. march — the month

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