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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 · spell · bay · capital · fork · snap · track · foot

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. spell — a short time
  8. capital — money
  9. track — a song
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. current — electric
  13. fork — in a road
  14. snap — to click
  15. spell — magic
  16. track — a path
  17. foot — a measure
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. current — of water
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. spell — letters
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. capital — a city
  24. current — happening now

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