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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. current — happening now
  3. cap — a lid
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. current — electric
  7. pitch — completely
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. cap — of ice
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. capital — a city
  13. row — to paddle
  14. row — a line
  15. plane — a tool
  16. capital — money
  17. current — of water
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. wound — an injury
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. cap — a hat

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