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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: mark · capital · game · content · current · bear · date · tube

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bear — the animal
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. date — the fruit
  9. current — happening now
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tube — a container
  12. mark — a grade
  13. content — the amount
  14. content — happy
  15. game — a match
  16. tube — the underground
  17. capital — money
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bear — the animal
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. capital — a city
  22. current — electric
  23. game — wild animals
  24. mark — to pay attention

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