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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: key · spell · ground · rash · bound · current · clip · capital

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. current — of water
  3. rash — a series
  4. spell — a short time
  5. ground — the earth
  6. clip — a video
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. spell — letters
  9. clip — for paper
  10. current — electric
  11. clip — to cut
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. capital — a city
  14. capital — money
  15. key — the most important part
  16. bound — obliged
  17. key — in music
  18. current — happening now
  19. bound — certain
  20. ground — crushed
  21. spell — magic
  22. key — for a lock
  23. bound — tied together
  24. ground — a position

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