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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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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: chip · snap · capital · current · trunk · deal · court · last

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. current — happening now
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. deal — to handle
  5. court — of a king
  6. snap — to click
  7. last — finally
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. court — for sport
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chip — to eat
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. capital — a city
  17. court — of law
  18. last — to go on
  19. capital — money
  20. last — final
  21. current — electric
  22. current — of water
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. trunk — of a car

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