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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 120 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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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: net · stick · capital · band · squash · racket · current · snap

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. current — happening now
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. current — electric
  6. band — a ring
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to click
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. capital — money
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. net — for catching
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. net — in sport
  16. band — a music group
  17. squash — the sport
  18. capital — a city
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. current — of water
  21. net — after costs
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. racket — for tennis

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