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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. current — happening now
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. capital — a city
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. club — a group
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. craft — boats
  10. stand — to bear
  11. club — for dancing
  12. current — of water
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. current — electric
  15. pitch — completely
  16. capital — money
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mate — a friend
  19. craft — a skill
  20. mate — to breed
  21. club — for golf
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. pitch — a sports field

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