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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mug — to rob
  4. current — of water
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mate — a friend
  7. swing — to play on
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a tool
  11. swing — music
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. current — happening now
  14. mate — to breed
  15. capital — money
  16. mate — a partner
  17. swing — in golf
  18. current — electric
  19. mug — a face
  20. mug — a cup
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. mark — to pay attention

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