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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. current — of water
  5. current — happening now
  6. court — of law
  7. court — for sport
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. tube — a container
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. wake — a trail
  13. track — to keep track
  14. capital — a city
  15. track — a path
  16. track — a song
  17. mark — a trace
  18. court — of a king
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. capital — money
  22. current — electric
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. mark — a grade

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