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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. current — electric
  3. capital — money
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. scale — in music
  6. last — final
  7. current — of water
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. file — a document
  11. last — finally
  12. file — a line of people
  13. wound — an injury
  14. scale — size or range
  15. capital — a city
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. last — to go on
  18. file — a tool
  19. toast — bread
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. wound — an injury
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. lie — to recline

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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