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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. capital — money
  3. current — electric
  4. charge — electricity
  5. capital — a city
  6. cue — a hint
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. current — of water
  10. season — in sport
  11. current — happening now
  12. charge — a price
  13. cue — a signal
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. charge — in control
  16. season — of the year
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cap — a hat
  19. last — final
  20. branch — a division
  21. last — to go on
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cap — a lid
  24. season — to add flavour

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