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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. file — a document
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. file — a tool
  5. current — electric
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. current — of water
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. kick — in football
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. file — a line of people
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. scale — size or range
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. capital — a city
  22. scale — in music
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. capital — money

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