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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. current — of water
  4. capital — a city
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — electric
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. capital — money
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — a weight
  16. file — a tool
  17. present — there
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. present — the time now
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. file — a document
  22. file — a line of people
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stand — to bear

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