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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. pop — music
  6. clip — to cut
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. current — of water
  10. clip — for paper
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. current — happening now
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. clip — a video
  15. capital — money
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. pop — soda
  20. current — electric
  21. deal — to handle
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. capital — a city

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