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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 120 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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. current — electric
  3. current — happening now
  4. capital — a city
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mate — a partner
  8. saw — the tool
  9. capital — money
  10. ball — a dance
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. dip — to sink
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. current — of water
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. mate — a friend
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bat — the animal

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