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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. foot — a measure
  6. capital — money
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. file — a document
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. current — electric
  11. file — a tool
  12. current — of water
  13. current — happening now
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. wake — a trail
  18. capital — a city
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. march — music
  24. file — a line of people

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