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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: plane · current · kick · capital · sharp · chest · fall · net

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. net — in sport
  6. current — electric
  7. capital — money
  8. capital — a city
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. fall — to drop
  11. chest — a box
  12. fall — the season
  13. chest — of your body
  14. net — for catching
  15. kick — in football
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. plane — a tool
  18. fall — to drop
  19. chest — of your body
  20. current — happening now
  21. current — of water
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. net — after costs
  24. sharp — clever

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