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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: squash · cold · calf · dip · current · saw · capital · roll

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. current — happening now
  3. roll — a list
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. roll — a cake
  7. current — electric
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. capital — money
  12. cold — an illness
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. dip — to sink
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. saw — the tool
  18. current — of water
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. cold — not warm
  22. squash — to crush
  23. squash — the sport
  24. dip — to dunk

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