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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.

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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 · march · rest · capital · degree · fork · snap · suit

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. current — happening now
  3. rest — a break
  4. degree — temperature
  5. current — electric
  6. current — of water
  7. degree — from a university
  8. rest — what's left
  9. march — music
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. suit — in cards
  12. fork — in a road
  13. snap — to click
  14. rest — what's left
  15. capital — a city
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. degree — an amount
  18. suit — clothes
  19. march — the month
  20. suit — to fit
  21. capital — money
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. march — the month

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