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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: fan · object · fork · current · present · pound · capital · court

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a city
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. court — of law
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. court — for sport
  12. object — an aim
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. court — of a king
  15. current — of water
  16. present — a gift
  17. present — there
  18. object — to protest
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. object — a thing
  21. fork — in a road
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. present — the time now
  24. current — happening now

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