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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: current · cell · capital · track · rock · file · face · pitch

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. file — a line of people
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. capital — a city
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. capital — money
  7. current — electric
  8. cell — a phone
  9. file — a document
  10. track — a path
  11. cell — in biology
  12. rock — music
  13. face — to confront
  14. track — a song
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. track — to keep track
  19. file — a tool
  20. current — happening now
  21. face — part of the head
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. rock — a stone
  24. face — to point toward

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