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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. mark — a trace
  3. current — of water
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. field — for sport
  7. pass — a permit
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. can — a tin
  10. mark — a grade
  11. can — to be able to
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. shower — rain
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. capital — money
  17. field — a subject
  18. current — happening now
  19. shower — to wash
  20. can — a tin
  21. field — farmland
  22. current — electric
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. mark — to pay attention

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