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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. net — after costs
  3. club — for dancing
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. current — electric
  10. current — happening now
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. club — for golf
  13. net — for catching
  14. game — wild animals
  15. current — of water
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. club — a group
  18. game — a match
  19. capital — a city
  20. march — the month
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. net — in sport
  23. capital — money
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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