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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. current — happening now
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. game — wild animals
  13. capital — a city
  14. cold — an illness
  15. deal — to handle
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. current — electric
  18. current — of water
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. game — a match
  22. cold — not warm
  23. capital — money
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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