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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: capital · hide · lash · current · face · bat · content · dip

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. current — happening now
  3. bat — the animal
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. capital — money
  7. face — to point toward
  8. current — of water
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. content — the amount
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. face — part of the head
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. capital — a city
  20. content — happy
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. face — to confront
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. dip — to sink

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