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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. fall — to drop
  3. current — happening now
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — to visit
  7. mark — a trace
  8. fall — the season
  9. band — a music group
  10. band — a ring
  11. capital — money
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. capital — a city
  14. date — the fruit
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. pop — soda
  19. toast — bread
  20. current — electric
  21. fall — to drop
  22. mark — a grade
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. toast — the most admired

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