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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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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: dip · ruler · wind · capital · calf · swing · racket · current

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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. racket — for tennis
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. wind — moving air
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. current — of water
  8. swing — to play on
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. dip — to sink
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. current — electric
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. wind — moving air
  19. capital — money
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. swing — music
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. swing — in golf

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