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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: hand · capital · mine · content · current · net · roll · safe

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. capital — money
  4. net — for catching
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. current — of water
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. mine — for digging
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. roll — a cake
  12. net — after costs
  13. capital — a city
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. roll — a list
  16. current — happening now
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. net — in sport
  20. content — happy
  21. current — electric
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. hand — in cards
  24. content — the amount

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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