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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: capital · current · jam · roll · mark · pitch · season · arm

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. current — of water
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. current — electric
  9. roll — a cake
  10. capital — money
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. pitch — completely
  13. capital — a city
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mark — a grade
  16. roll — a list
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. season — in sport
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. season — of the year
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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