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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: can · root · court · current · straw · capital · spell · deal

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. spell — a short time
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. court — of a king
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. spell — letters
  8. can — to be able to
  9. court — for sport
  10. current — electric
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. court — of law
  13. current — happening now
  14. can — a tin
  15. root — the cause
  16. capital — a city
  17. can — a tin
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. root — of a word
  21. spell — magic
  22. root — of a plant
  23. current — of water
  24. deal — to handle

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