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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: drill · capital · sharp · season · deal · cold · toast · current

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. current — happening now
  3. cold — an illness
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. capital — money
  7. drill — army training
  8. capital — a city
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. toast — bread
  11. current — of water
  12. sharp — clever
  13. cold — not warm
  14. season — of the year
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. deal — to handle
  19. drill — a practice
  20. current — electric
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. drill — the tool
  24. cold — the Cold War

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