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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. wind — moving air
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. current — of water
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. wind — moving air
  9. capital — a city
  10. capital — money
  11. current — electric
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. current — happening now
  17. plane — a tool
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. kick — in football
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. tube — a container

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