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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. tube — the underground
  3. roll — a cake
  4. current — happening now
  5. rock — music
  6. current — of water
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. roll — a list
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. capital — money
  12. tube — a container
  13. spell — letters
  14. current — electric
  15. spell — magic
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. rock — a stone
  21. spell — a short time
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — ministers

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