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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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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: kid · rush · temple · pitch · craft · ruler · current · capital

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. capital — money
  3. rush — hurry
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. kid — child
  6. current — happening now
  7. craft — a skill
  8. capital — a city
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. current — of water
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. craft — boats
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. pitch — completely
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. current — electric

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