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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 116 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: capital · chip · lie · wound · sharp · cap · wind · current

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. wound — an injury
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — a lid
  6. capital — money
  7. current — of water
  8. sharp — clever
  9. wind — moving air
  10. capital — a city
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. current — electric
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. wind — moving air
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. current — happening now
  22. chip — to eat
  23. cap — of ice
  24. chip — for betting

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