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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — the season
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. race — the arms race
  7. content — the amount
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. spring — of water
  11. current — of water
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. capital — money
  16. current — electric
  17. race — humankind
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a great time
  20. content — happy
  21. capital — a city
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. race — a contest
  24. cabinet — ministers

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