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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
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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: current · cap · mark · hand · pop · season · mate · file

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. cap — of ice
  3. season — in sport
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mate — a partner
  6. season — of the year
  7. current — happening now
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. file — a tool
  11. pop — soda
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mate — to breed
  14. hand — in cards
  15. file — a document
  16. current — of water
  17. file — a line of people
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. cap — a hat
  20. pop — to visit
  21. mate — a friend
  22. current — electric
  23. pop — music
  24. cap — a lid

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