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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. capital — a city
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. current — happening now
  7. fine — high quality
  8. current — electric
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. ground — a position
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. ground — crushed
  15. track — a path
  16. ground — the earth
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. wind — moving air
  19. fine — all right
  20. track — a song
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. current — of water
  23. capital — money
  24. wind — moving air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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