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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: jam · stem · ground · ball · dip · current · capital · chip

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  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. capital — money
  2. current — happening now
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. chip — for betting
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. ball — a dance
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. chip — to eat
  9. ground — crushed
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. current — of water
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. ground — a position
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. dip — to sink
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. stem — to come from
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. capital — a city
  21. current — electric
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ground — the earth
  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