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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. squash — to crush
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. current — electric
  6. capital — a city
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. capital — money
  9. track — to keep track
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. current — of water
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ground — crushed
  15. track — a song
  16. ground — a position
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. current — happening now
  20. track — a path
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. squash — the sport
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. mine — for digging

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