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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 116 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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. firm — a company
  4. mark — a grade
  5. game — a match
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. mark — a trace
  8. current — electric
  9. current — of water
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. capital — money
  12. wind — moving air
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. firm — decided
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. capital — a city
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. current — happening now
  22. firm — steady
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. ruler — for measuring

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