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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: capital · current · squash · key · hand · saw · pound · fine

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. key — for a lock
  3. hand — help
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. current — happening now
  7. saw — the tool
  8. current — electric
  9. fine — all right
  10. key — the most important part
  11. squash — the sport
  12. saw — the tool
  13. hand — in cards
  14. pound — a weight
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. capital — a city
  17. key — in music
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. capital — money
  24. squash — to crush

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