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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. row — a line
  3. tear — from crying
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. tube — a container
  8. current — happening now
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. chest — of your body
  11. current — electric
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. row — to paddle
  14. tube — the underground
  15. tear — from crying
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. chest — of your body
  20. current — of water
  21. snap — to click
  22. chest — a box
  23. capital — a city
  24. tear — to rip

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