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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. current — electric
  4. bat — the animal
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. current — happening now
  8. mark — a trace
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. cue — a signal
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. current — of water
  13. present — the time now
  14. capital — a city
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. capital — money
  17. cue — a hint
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. mark — a grade
  20. present — a gift
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. present — there
  23. mine — for digging
  24. cue — for pool

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