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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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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: capital · lie · cap · current · file · court · mate · race

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. race — the arms race
  3. current — electric
  4. race — a contest
  5. capital — money
  6. court — of a king
  7. current — of water
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — of ice
  10. file — a document
  11. court — for sport
  12. mate — to breed
  13. file — a tool
  14. capital — a city
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. mate — a partner
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. mate — a friend
  20. cap — a lid
  21. lie — to recline
  22. court — of law
  23. current — happening now
  24. race — humankind

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