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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.

Words on the sheet
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: bore · current · lash · foot · cold · stock · capital · file

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. file — a tool
  3. capital — a city
  4. cold — an illness
  5. file — a document
  6. bore — to tire
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stock — shares
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. file — a line of people
  16. stock — goods
  17. foot — a measure
  18. capital — money
  19. current — electric
  20. cold — not warm
  21. current — of water
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. bore — to drill

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