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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: current · ruler · key · cell · mark · capital

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. 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. current — electric
  2. mark — a trace
  3. capital — money
  4. key — the most important part
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. mark — a grade
  7. cell — in biology
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. key — in music
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. capital — a city
  12. current — happening now
  13. key — for a lock
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. cell — a phone
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. current — of water

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