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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. scale — size or range
  3. capital — money
  4. current — happening now
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. cap — of ice
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. capital — a city
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. cap — a hat
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. current — electric
  19. scale — in music
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. kick — in football
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. current — of water

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