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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: current · fork · march · roll · capital · snap · saw · mug

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. roll — a list
  3. snap — to click
  4. current — of water
  5. mug — to rob
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. march — the month
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. saw — the tool
  10. current — happening now
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. mug — a face
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. mug — a cup
  17. march — the month
  18. current — electric
  19. capital — money
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. saw — the tool
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. march — music
  24. capital — a city

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