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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: roll · dip · cue · fall · current · leaves · cap · capital

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. cue — a hint
  3. current — of water
  4. cap — a lid
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. cue — a signal
  8. dip — to sink
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cap — of ice
  11. fall — to drop
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. capital — a city
  14. capital — money
  15. current — electric
  16. current — happening now
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. cue — for pool
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. fall — to drop
  23. roll — a cake
  24. roll — a list

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