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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: rest · cold · tube · fine · current · pitcher · can · capital

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. tube — the underground
  3. fine — all right
  4. can — a tin
  5. current — of water
  6. fine — high quality
  7. capital — a city
  8. rest — what's left
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. can — to be able to
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. current — electric
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — money
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. tube — a container
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cold — an illness
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. cold — not warm
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — a break
  24. can — a tin

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