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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. clip — to cut
  3. current — electric
  4. file — a document
  5. capital — money
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. file — a tool
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. pop — music
  10. mark — a grade
  11. clip — for paper
  12. file — a line of people
  13. clip — a video
  14. pop — soda
  15. capital — a city
  16. current — of water
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. pop — to visit
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — to recline
  24. current — happening now

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