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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: can · sharp · scale · current · tear · hide · capital · march

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. scale — size or range
  3. current — electric
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. can — a tin
  6. march — the month
  7. tear — from crying
  8. scale — in music
  9. tear — from crying
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. can — a tin
  13. tear — to rip
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. current — happening now
  18. can — to be able to
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. march — music
  21. sharp — clever
  22. march — the month
  23. capital — money
  24. current — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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