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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.

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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: current · chip · bulb · coach · drill · key · hand · capital

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. hand — help
  3. key — the most important part
  4. bulb — for light
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. drill — army training
  7. hand — in cards
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. chip — to eat
  11. capital — money
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. current — electric
  15. key — in music
  16. chip — for betting
  17. bulb — for light
  18. current — of water
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — a city
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — a practice
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. key — for a lock

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