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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. current — electric
  3. cold — not warm
  4. band — a ring
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. band — a music group
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. capital — money
  9. current — of water
  10. club — for dancing
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. ball — a great time
  15. club — a group
  16. current — happening now
  17. club — for golf
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. drill — army training
  20. ball — a dance
  21. drill — a practice
  22. cold — an illness
  23. capital — a city
  24. drill — the tool

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