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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. sharp — clever
  9. tube — a container
  10. tube — the underground
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a city
  13. current — of water
  14. ball — a dance
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. pitch — completely
  17. ball — a great time
  18. current — electric
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. mark — a grade
  23. current — happening now
  24. lie — to recline

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