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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. capital — a city
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. pitch — completely
  6. cue — for pool
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. current — happening now
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. cue — a signal
  14. cue — a hint
  15. field — farmland
  16. current — electric
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. field — a subject
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. tube — the underground
  21. capital — money
  22. field — for sport
  23. tube — a container
  24. pitch — a sports field

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