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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: last · tube · pop · net · capital · drill · saw · current

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. capital — a city
  3. current — of water
  4. tube — the underground
  5. pop — music
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. last — to go on
  8. pop — soda
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. last — finally
  11. drill — the tool
  12. current — electric
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — in sport
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. last — final
  18. tube — a container
  19. pop — to visit
  20. capital — money
  21. drill — army training
  22. net — after costs
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. current — happening now

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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