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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. capital — money
  4. game — a match
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. capital — a city
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. current — happening now
  9. plane — a tool
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. hand — help
  12. current — electric
  13. swing — to play on
  14. game — wild animals
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bear — the animal
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. board — to get on
  19. current — of water
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. board — a committee
  22. hand — in cards
  23. swing — in golf
  24. swing — music

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