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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 120 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: bat · current · rush · last · rash · snap · capital · rock

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. capital — money
  6. bat — the animal
  7. capital — a city
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. current — of water
  10. rash — hasty
  11. current — happening now
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. current — electric
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. rock — music
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. snap — to click
  21. last — final
  22. last — finally
  23. rock — a stone
  24. last — to go on

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