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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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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: saw · court · content · current · rush · cell · capital · cabinet

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. content — happy
  7. capital — a city
  8. current — electric
  9. court — of law
  10. current — of water
  11. cell — in biology
  12. saw — the tool
  13. court — for sport
  14. content — the amount
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. court — of a king
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. capital — money
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. current — happening now
  24. rush — hurry

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