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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.

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: board · ruler · capital · sharp · jam · wind · bat · current

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. current — electric
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. capital — money
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. board — a committee
  10. capital — a city
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bat — the animal
  18. current — of water
  19. board — to get on
  20. sharp — clever
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. current — happening now
  24. bat — for baseball

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