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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 · bore · swing · game · dip · sharp · current · can

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. swing — to play on
  5. capital — money
  6. current — of water
  7. capital — a city
  8. sharp — clever
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. game — wild animals
  11. current — electric
  12. can — to be able to
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. current — happening now
  16. game — a match
  17. swing — in golf
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — a tin
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bore — to drill
  23. swing — music
  24. dip — to dunk

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