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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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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 · deal · capital · straw · rest · bowl

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. current — of water
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. capital — money
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. capital — a city
  14. current — happening now
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. current — electric
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. deal — to handle

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