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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. season — in sport
  4. current — happening now
  5. cap — a hat
  6. shower — rain
  7. game — wild animals
  8. roll — a list
  9. capital — money
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. shower — to wash
  12. capital — a city
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. cap — of ice
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. season — of the year
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. game — a match
  21. roll — a cake
  22. lie — to recline
  23. current — of water
  24. current — electric

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