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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. file — a line of people
  5. current — electric
  6. current — of water
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. capital — money
  9. fall — to drop
  10. file — a tool
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. capital — a city
  13. fall — the season
  14. press — a publisher
  15. press — newspapers
  16. fall — to drop
  17. rush — hurry
  18. tube — a container
  19. press — to push
  20. file — a document
  21. current — happening now
  22. tube — the underground
  23. date — the fruit
  24. rush — to hurry

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