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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. board — a committee
  5. capital — a city
  6. rule — government
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mate — a friend
  9. bark — to shout
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. current — of water
  13. rush — hurry
  14. board — to get on
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. capital — money
  18. ball — a dance
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. mate — a partner
  21. current — electric
  22. ball — a great time
  23. rule — a law
  24. bark — of a tree

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