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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 116 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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. degree — an amount
  4. clip — a video
  5. rock — music
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — from a university
  9. clip — for paper
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. stand — to bear
  12. capital — money
  13. current — of water
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. clip — to cut
  17. current — happening now
  18. rock — a stone
  19. current — electric
  20. rule — government
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. rule — a law
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. capital — a city

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