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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. current — of water
  3. cap — a hat
  4. deal — to handle
  5. capital — money
  6. stock — goods
  7. cap — of ice
  8. pop — to visit
  9. cap — a lid
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. spring — the season
  13. stock — shares
  14. spring — of water
  15. current — electric
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. capital — a city
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. spring — a coil
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — music
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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