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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
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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: ball · staff · content · current · calf · game · capital · roll

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. capital — a city
  3. roll — a cake
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. current — of water
  8. ball — a great time
  9. content — the amount
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. capital — money
  13. content — happy
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. current — happening now
  16. staff — a stick
  17. staff — employees
  18. roll — a list
  19. staff — employees
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. ball — a dance
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. game — wild animals
  24. game — a match

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