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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 124 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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. rock — a stone
  3. current — happening now
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. current — of water
  8. current — electric
  9. capital — a city
  10. roll — a list
  11. court — for sport
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. rock — music
  17. plane — a tool
  18. court — of law
  19. roll — a cake
  20. chair — a leader
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. court — of a king
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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