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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. current — happening now
  3. club — for dancing
  4. can — a tin
  5. current — electric
  6. club — for golf
  7. capital — a city
  8. can — to be able to
  9. key — for a lock
  10. current — of water
  11. club — a group
  12. bulb — for light
  13. game — wild animals
  14. key — in music
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. bulb — for light
  18. capital — money
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. game — a match
  21. key — the most important part
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. can — a tin
  24. game — a kind of play

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