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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: current · capital · pit · board · chest · tear · net · track

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. current — electric
  3. tear — to rip
  4. chest — of your body
  5. track — a path
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. tear — from crying
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. current — of water
  10. board — a committee
  11. chest — of your body
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. tear — from crying
  14. current — happening now
  15. net — for catching
  16. track — to keep track
  17. capital — a city
  18. net — after costs
  19. capital — money
  20. pit — a hole
  21. chest — a box
  22. pit — in a race
  23. board — to get on
  24. net — in sport

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