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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. current — of water
  3. spell — letters
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. spell — magic
  6. bulb — for light
  7. key — the most important part
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bulb — for light
  10. club — for golf
  11. current — happening now
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. root — of a plant
  15. current — electric
  16. root — the cause
  17. club — for dancing
  18. capital — a city
  19. club — a group
  20. root — of a word
  21. key — in music
  22. spell — a short time
  23. key — for a lock
  24. racket — a loud noise

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