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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
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: current · key · jam · wind · capital · foot · mate · game

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. current — electric
  3. wind — moving air
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a partner
  6. game — a match
  7. capital — a city
  8. mate — a friend
  9. wind — moving air
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. game — wild animals
  13. capital — money
  14. current — of water
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. key — for a lock
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. current — happening now
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. key — in music
  23. foot — a measure
  24. capital — a big letter

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