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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 · ball · capital · cue · ground · hand · wake · root

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. capital — money
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. root — of a plant
  9. ground — a position
  10. capital — a city
  11. ball — a dance
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. root — the cause
  14. cue — a hint
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ball — a great time
  17. root — of a word
  18. cue — a signal
  19. current — happening now
  20. hand — help
  21. wake — a trail
  22. current — of water
  23. cue — for pool
  24. current — electric

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