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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 second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. current — electric
  3. band — a music group
  4. field — a subject
  5. current — happening now
  6. key — for a lock
  7. fall — to drop
  8. suit — clothes
  9. suit — to fit
  10. fall — the season
  11. suit — in cards
  12. present — a gift
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. key — in music
  15. fall — to drop
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — farmland
  18. current — of water
  19. key — the most important part
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. present — the time now
  22. band — a ring
  23. present — there
  24. capital — a city

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