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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: deal · face · scale · last · capital · hide · fan · current

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. current — electric
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. scale — in music
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. last — final
  10. capital — a city
  11. current — of water
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. current — happening now
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. face — to confront
  17. last — to go on
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. face — part of the head
  20. scale — size or range
  21. face — to point toward
  22. deal — to handle
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. last — finally

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