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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. wind — moving air
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. current — electric
  10. capital — a city
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pop — music
  13. wind — moving air
  14. current — happening now
  15. capital — money
  16. prune — to trim
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. current — of water
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. suit — in cards
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. suit — to fit
  23. suit — clothes
  24. prune — the fruit

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