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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. capital — money
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — a container
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — electric
  7. current — of water
  8. ball — a dance
  9. race — a contest
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. ball — a great time
  12. tube — the underground
  13. charge — a price
  14. mug — to rob
  15. charge — electricity
  16. clip — a video
  17. mug — a cup
  18. charge — in control
  19. mug — a face
  20. race — humankind
  21. clip — to cut
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. race — the arms race
  24. capital — a city

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