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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. current — of water
  4. kid — to tease
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. track — a song
  9. ball — a great time
  10. track — to keep track
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. row — to paddle
  13. capital — money
  14. ball — a dance
  15. track — a path
  16. capital — a city
  17. current — happening now
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. current — electric
  20. kid — child
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — a line
  24. rush — hurry

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