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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. sharp — clever
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. capital — a city
  6. bank — of a river
  7. current — of water
  8. clip — for paper
  9. clip — a video
  10. tube — a container
  11. tube — the underground
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. current — electric
  14. bank — for money
  15. craft — boats
  16. craft — a skill
  17. bank — for money
  18. capital — money
  19. current — happening now
  20. clip — to cut
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. tube — in a tire

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