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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — a practice
  5. mate — a friend
  6. staff — a stick
  7. mate — to breed
  8. drill — the tool
  9. staff — employees
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. staff — employees
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wind — moving air
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. current — happening now
  20. current — of water
  21. mate — a partner
  22. capital — a city
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. capital — money

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