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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 124 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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. capital — money
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. capital — a city
  8. cap — a hat
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. cap — a lid
  12. chip — for betting
  13. cap — of ice
  14. chip — to eat
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. current — happening now
  17. current — electric
  18. pitch — completely

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