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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 120 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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. file — a tool
  4. file — a line of people
  5. pop — to visit
  6. current — happening now
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. file — a document
  9. capital — money
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. pop — soda
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. current — electric
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. pop — music
  19. cap — a hat
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. chest — of your body
  22. capital — a city
  23. cap — of ice
  24. current — of water

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