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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. current — electric
  3. current — of water
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — wild animals
  7. last — to go on
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. capital — a city
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. current — happening now
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. last — final
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. deal — to handle
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. game — a match
  22. fall — to drop
  23. last — finally
  24. wake — a trail

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