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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. current — happening now
  3. land — a country
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cap — a hat
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. current — of water
  8. prune — to trim
  9. last — final
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. last — finally
  12. current — electric
  13. land — to come down
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. land — ground
  17. pitch — completely
  18. cap — of ice
  19. tube — a container
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. last — to go on
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. rush — hurry

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