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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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Word bank
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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. capital — a city
  4. current — happening now
  5. pit — a hole
  6. key — in music
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. current — electric
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. current — of water
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. key — for a lock
  18. pit — in a race
  19. chair — a leader
  20. key — the most important part
  21. root — the cause
  22. root — of a plant
  23. snap — to click
  24. root — of a word

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