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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bound — tied together
  3. game — wild animals
  4. capital — a city
  5. cue — for pool
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. current — electric
  9. court — of law
  10. bound — obliged
  11. capital — money
  12. current — of water
  13. game — a match
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. court — for sport
  17. bark — to shout
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cue — a signal
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. court — of a king
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. bound — certain
  24. current — happening now

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