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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: capital · ruler · pitcher · suit · clip · current · court · ground

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. current — electric
  3. ground — a position
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. current — happening now
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. clip — to cut
  9. current — of water
  10. court — of a king
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. court — for sport
  13. suit — in cards
  14. capital — money
  15. ground — the earth
  16. capital — a city
  17. court — of law
  18. clip — a video
  19. suit — clothes
  20. ground — crushed
  21. suit — to fit
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. pitcher — a jug

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