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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. capital — money
  3. ground — crushed
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. current — happening now
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. ground — the earth
  8. scale — size or range
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. tube — a container
  11. current — electric
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. capital — a city
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. current — of water
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a line of people
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. tube — the underground
  22. ground — a position
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. scale — in music

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