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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. current — happening now
  3. current — of water
  4. capital — a city
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. current — electric
  8. mine — for digging
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. capital — money
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. present — a gift
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. fork — in a road
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. foot — a measure
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. present — there
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. present — the time now
  24. foot — the bottom

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