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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.

Make a worksheet

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: coach · craft · capital · last · fork · temple · current · game

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — final
  4. craft — a skill
  5. capital — money
  6. craft — boats
  7. capital — a city
  8. game — a match
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. current — of water
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. current — electric
  17. game — wild animals
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. current — happening now
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. fork — in a road
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. capital — a big letter

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