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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 124 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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bulb — for light
  4. lean — thin
  5. current — electric
  6. last — to go on
  7. face — to point toward
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. current — happening now
  10. last — final
  11. current — of water
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to confront
  14. pit — in a race
  15. lean — to bend
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. pit — a hole
  19. game — a match
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. capital — money
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bulb — for light
  24. last — finally

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