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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. saw — the tool
  3. current — of water
  4. cap — of ice
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. cap — a lid
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cue — a signal
  10. toast — bread
  11. cap — a hat
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a city
  15. current — happening now
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. current — electric
  18. cue — for pool

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