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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 · board · current · saw · sharp · track · roll · swing

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. board — a committee
  4. saw — the tool
  5. swing — in golf
  6. roll — a cake
  7. board — to get on
  8. saw — the tool
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. swing — to play on
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. current — happening now
  13. track — a song
  14. roll — a list
  15. swing — music
  16. sharp — clever
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. capital — a city
  19. capital — money
  20. track — a path
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. current — of water
  23. sharp — exactly
  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