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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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468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: current · stand · racket · capital · file · pop · cap · tear

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. file — a line of people
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. current — of water
  5. pop — to visit
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. cap — a lid
  8. pop — soda
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. current — happening now
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. stand — to bear
  15. file — a document
  16. capital — a city
  17. current — electric
  18. capital — money
  19. file — a tool
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cap — a hat
  24. tear — to rip

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