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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · nail · jam · leaves · saw · chair · kid · capital

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — a city
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. current — electric
  5. current — of water
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. current — happening now
  8. capital — money
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. kid — child
  13. kid — to tease
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. chair — a leader
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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