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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. ball — a great time
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — of a river
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bear — the animal
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. cell — in biology
  12. current — of water
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. current — electric
  15. row — to paddle
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. row — a line
  18. current — happening now
  19. bank — for money
  20. capital — money
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. capital — a city
  24. ball — a dance

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