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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. kid — to tease
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. date — the fruit
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. pass — a permit
  9. mug — a face
  10. cap — a hat
  11. current — of water
  12. cap — of ice
  13. capital — money
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. mug — to rob
  17. kid — child
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. capital — a city
  20. mug — a cup
  21. cap — a lid
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. current — happening now

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