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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. court — of law
  3. game — a match
  4. current — of water
  5. roll — a list
  6. current — electric
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. capital — a city
  9. current — happening now
  10. bear — the animal
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bear — the animal
  13. object — an aim
  14. capital — money
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. game — wild animals
  17. object — a thing
  18. court — of a king
  19. court — for sport
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. roll — a cake
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. object — to protest

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