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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. current — happening now
  4. ball — a dance
  5. scale — in music
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. toast — bread
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. mate — a partner
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — a position
  14. capital — money
  15. current — of water
  16. present — a gift
  17. mate — to breed
  18. capital — a city
  19. present — the time now
  20. ground — crushed
  21. present — there
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. current — electric
  24. mate — a friend

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