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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 116 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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. ball — a dance
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. board — a committee
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. key — in music
  7. capital — money
  8. ball — a great time
  9. board — to get on
  10. row — a line
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. rash — a series
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. capital — a city
  16. current — happening now
  17. rash — hasty
  18. current — of water
  19. current — electric
  20. row — to paddle
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. key — the most important part
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. key — for a lock

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